T1111: Multi-Factor Authentication Interception
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1111 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Credential Access |
| Associated CAPEC Patterns | Cellular Traffic Intercept (CAPEC-609) , Sniffing Network Traffic (CAPEC-158) , Eavesdropping (CAPEC-651) |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may target multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms, (i.e., smart cards, token generators, etc.) to gain access to credentials that can be used to access systems, services, and network resources. Use of MFA is recommended and provides a higher level of security than usernames and passwords alone, but organizations should be aware of techniques that could be used to intercept and bypass these security mechanisms.
If a smart card is used for multi-factor authentication, then a keylogger will need to be used to obtain the password associated with a smart card during normal use. With both an inserted card and access to the smart card password, an adversary can connect to a network resource using the infected system to proxy the authentication with the inserted hardware token. (Citation: Mandiant M Trends 2011)
Adversaries may also employ a keylogger to similarly target other hardware tokens, such as RSA SecurID. Capturing token input (including a user's personal identification code) may provide temporary access (i.e. replay the one-time passcode until the next value rollover) as well as possibly enabling adversaries to reliably predict future authentication values (given access to both the algorithm and any seed values used to generate appended temporary codes). (Citation: GCN RSA June 2011)
Other methods of MFA may be intercepted and used by an adversary to authenticate. It is common for one-time codes to be sent via out-of-band communications (email, SMS). If the device and/or service is not secured, then it may be vulnerable to interception. Service providers can also be targeted: for example, an adversary may compromise an SMS messaging service in order to steal MFA codes sent to users’ phones.(Citation: Okta Scatter Swine 2022)
© 2024 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation.
Cyber Threat Graph Context
Explore how this ATT&CK Technique relates to the wider threat graph
Reporting on this Technique
APT40 Advisory - PRC MSS tradecraft in action
This advisory, authored by the Australian Cyber Security Centre and multiple other international cybersecurity agencies, outlines the threat posed ...
Suspected APT Actors Leverage Authentication Bypass Techniques and Pulse Secure Zero-Day
Reporting from Mandiant which discusses the exploitation of Pulse Secure VPN devices in 2021 and 12 malware families associated with the campaign. ...
Mitigations for this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Mitigations
How to detect this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
Driver Load (Driver)
Attaching a driver to either user or kernel-mode of a system (ex: Sysmon EID 6)Windows Registry Key Modification (Windows Registry)
Changes made to a Registry Key and/or Key value (ex: Windows EID 4657 or Sysmon EID 13|14)OS API Execution (Process)
Operating system function/method calls executed by a processSP800-53 Controls
See which controls can help protect against this MITRE ATT&CK technique. This is based on mappings to associated SP800-53 controls produced by the MITRE Engenuity Center for Threat-Informed Defense.