The Essential Role of the MITRE ATT&CK Framework in Effective SOC Training
The Essential Role of the MITRE ATT&CK Framework in Effective SOC Training
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a comprehensive overview of the various tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by cyber adversaries during all the stages of a cyber attack.
Created by MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization partnering with the U.S. government to foster innovation and development in diverse applications, including cybersecurity, ATT&CK stands for "Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge."
In addition to the Enterprise matrix about “traditional” cyber attacks, there are different versions for other kinds of attacks, such as one for industrial control systems/OT and one for AI-enabled systems.
How Does the MITRE ATT&CK Framework Work?
The MITRE ATT&CK framework describes the actions and behaviors of bad actors and advanced persistent threat (APT) groups through detailed matrices, providing a way to categorize and understand the elements of a cyber attack. For example, the Enterprise ATT&CK matrix outlines 14 tactic categories:
Reconnaissance
Resource Development
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Privilege Escalation
Defense Evasion
Credential Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Command & Control
Collection
Exfiltration
Impact
Tactics outline the reason an adversary takes an action – the “why.”
Every tactic includes a variety of techniques, and each technique describes one way an adversary may achieve the objective of the tactic. Meaning, the technique is the “how.”
For example, under the Initial Access tactic, where the adversary’s goal is to gain initial access to the target environment, the associated techniques include Exploit Public-Facing Application, Phishing, Supply Chain Compromise, and Trusted Relationship. Some techniques are further dissected into sub-techniques to provide more detail about the behaviors.
Different techniques are strung together to create an attack.
MITRE also looks at the specific procedures threat actors follow to execute a technique. Procedures are often specific to individual threat actors, groups, or campaigns and may include details like tool usage, timing, and other nuances.
The tactics, techniques, and procedures are typically referred to as TTPs.
Because MITRE is a community-led initiative, the framework is constantly updated as new TTPs are discovered. For example, the newest version of the framework, ATT&CK v14, incorporated newer techniques like social engineering, impersonation, and voice phishing. It also added more assets from ICS environments, including human-machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and remote terminal units (RTUs).
The result is a systematic and standardized way to understand adversarial motives and strategies and enable more proactive and effective cybersecurity measures.
Using MITRE ATT&CK in Cyber Ranges and Simulation Training
The framework is widely used in the cybersecurity community for several purposes, including gathering threat intelligence and creating defensive strategies. It is also vital to the live-fire attack simulation training that Cloud Range provides to SOC teams.
Here are 5 ways the MITRE ATT&CK framework is used in cyber range training:
Realistic Training Scenarios: Cloud Range experts and adversarial engineers regularly create new attack simulations based on TTPs in the MITRE ATT&CK, ensuring the training scenarios mimic real-world cyber threats, even emulating specific threat actors or APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) groups.
Targeted Skill Development: Security teams can use the framework to focus on specific tactics and techniques most relevant to their organization or industry. That enables them to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to defend against the most likely threats they might face.
Red Team Exercises: Red team exercises, where ethical hackers simulate cyberattacks to test an organization's defenses, often use MITRE ATT&CK as a reference, so attacks are based on real-world TTPs.
Incident Response Practice: Similarly, blue teams engage in attack simulations based on MITRE to improve their ability to investigate and mitigate security incidents. Simulated scenarios include all stages of an attack, from initial access to exfiltration, enabling defenders to enhance their preparedness, problem-solving skills, and adaptability – all within a safe, controlled environment.
Skill Validation: The framework can be used to assess the skills and knowledge of SOC team members – individually through a FastTrak Assessment or as a team in Cloud Range’s live-fire simulation exercises – to validate their ability to detect and respond to different TTPs, identifying areas where they may need additional training or experience.
Cloud Range uses the MITRE ATT&CK Framework to help security teams gain real-world experience and enhance capabilities in an immersive environment. All of our live-fire IT and OT attack simulations are mapped to MITRE, and teams can track which TTPs they have faced, any gaps to be filled, and where they need to improve.
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