Attack frameworks or exploitation frameworks that serve as models of the thinking and actions of today’s threat actors.

Weaponization: The attacker combines a backdoor or exploit with a deliverable file, such as a malicious PDF or an infected software update.

Delivery: The weaponized payload is sent to the target via email, a compromised website, or a USB drive, for example.

Exploitation: The payload is executed, and a vulnerability is exploited to gain access to the system.

Installation: A backdoor or persistent presence is installed on the compromised machine.

Command and Control (C&C): The attacker establishes a remote communication channel to control the compromised system from afar.

Actions on Objectives: The attacker achieves their final goal, which could be data exfiltration, destruction, or deploying ransomware.

By understanding these stages, a security team can implement defenses at each step. For example, to combat Reconnaissance, they might monitor for suspicious network scans. To prevent Delivery, they could use email filters and web proxies. To disrupt C&C, they would look for unusual outbound network traffic.

The MITRE ATT&CK Framework

While the Cyber Kill Chain provides a high-level, linear view, the MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) framework offers a much more detailed and comprehensive matrix of adversary behaviors. Instead of a simple kill chain, it's a living knowledge base of known tactics and techniques that threat actors use during an attack.

Sample Answer

Attack and exploitation frameworks are essential models for understanding the mindset and actions of threat actors. Much like a cybersecurity framework helps a business structure its defenses, these frameworks help security professionals understand, analyze, and anticipate how attacks unfold. They provide a common language and a structured approach to mapping out the various stages, techniques, and relationships involved in a cyber intrusion. By studying these models, defenders can move from a reactive posture to a proactive, threat-informed defense.

The Cyber Kill Chain

Developed by Lockheed Martin, the Cyber Kill Chain is one of the most widely known attack frameworks. It breaks down the stages of a cyber intrusion into a linear, sequential model. The idea is that an attacker must successfully complete each of the seven stages to achieve their objective. If a defender can "break the chain" at any point, the attack is stopped.

The seven stages are:

Reconnaissance: The attacker gathers information about the target. This can be anything from scanning a network for open ports to using social media to find employee names and email addresses.