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CAPEC-670:Software Development Tools Maliciously Altered

Attack Pattern ID:670

Version:v3.9

Attack Pattern Name:Software Development Tools Maliciously Altered

Abstraction:Detailed

Status:Draft

Likelihood of Attack:Low

Typical Severity:High

Details Content History Related Weaknesses Reports

▼Description

An adversary with the ability to alter tools used in a development environment causes software to be developed with maliciously modified tools. Such tools include requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools. The adversary then carries out malicious acts once the software is deployed including malware infection of other systems to support further compromises.

▼Relationships

Nature	Type	ID	Name
ChildOf	S	444	Development Alteration
CanPrecede	S	669	Alteration of a Software Update

Nature: ChildOf

Type: Standard

ID: 444

Name: Development Alteration

Nature: CanPrecede

Type: Standard

ID: 669

Name: Alteration of a Software Update

▼Prerequisites

An adversary would need to have access to a targeted developer’s development environment and in particular to tools used to design, create, test and manage software, where the adversary could ensure malicious code is included in software packages built through alteration or substitution of tools in the environment used in the development of software.

▼Skills Required

High

Ability to leverage common delivery mechanisms (e.g., email attachments, removable media) to infiltrate a development environment to gain access to software development tools for the purpose of malware insertion into an existing tool or replacement of an existing tool with a maliciously altered copy.

▼Consequences

Scope	Likelihood	Impact	Note
Integrity	N/A	Execute Unauthorized Commands	N/A
Access Control	N/A	Gain Privileges	N/A
Confidentiality	N/A	Modify DataRead Data	N/A

Scope: Integrity

Likelihood: N/A

Impact: Execute Unauthorized Commands

Note: N/A

Scope: Access Control

Likelihood: N/A

Impact: Gain Privileges

Note: N/A

Scope: Confidentiality

Likelihood: N/A

Impact: Modify Data, Read Data

Note: N/A

▼Mitigations

Have a security concept of operations (CONOPS) for the development environment that includes: Maintaining strict security administration and configuration management of requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools.

Avoid giving elevated privileges to developers.

▼Example Instances

▼Taxonomy Mappings

Taxonomy Name	Entry ID	Entry Name
ATTACK	1127	Trusted Developer Utilities Proxy Execution
ATTACK	1195.001	Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Dependencies and Development Tools

Taxonomy Name: ATTACK

Entry ID: 1127

Entry Name: Trusted Developer Utilities Proxy Execution

Taxonomy Name: ATTACK

Entry ID: 1195.001

Entry Name: Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Dependencies and Development Tools

▼References

Reference ID: REF-439

Title: Supply Chain Attack Framework and Attack Patterns

Author: John F. Miller

Publication:

Publisher:The MITRE Corporation

URL:http://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/publications/supply-chain-attack-framework-14-0228.pdf

Day:N/A

Month:N/A

Year:2013

Reference ID: REF-660

Title: Supply Chain Attack Patterns: Framework and Catalog

Author: Melinda Reed, John F. Miller, Paul Popick

Publication:

Publisher:Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

URL:https://docplayer.net/13041016-Supply-chain-attack-patterns-framework-and-catalog.html

URL Date:2021-06-22

Day:N/A

Month:08

Year:2014

Reference ID: REF-667

Title: Highly Evasive Attacker Leverages SolarWinds Supply Chain to Compromise Multiple Global Victims With SUNBURST Backdoor

Publication:

Publisher:Schneier on Security

URL:https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2020/12/evasive-attacker-leverages-solarwinds-supply-chain-compromises-with-sunburst-backdoor.html

URL Date:2021-06-24

Day:13

Month:12

Year:2020