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Exploit Public-Facing Application
Sub-techniques (7)
Adversaries may attempt to take advantage of a weakness in an Internet-facing computer or program using software, data, or commands in order to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior. The weakness in the system can be a bug, a glitch, or a design vulnerability. These applications are often websites, but can include databases (like SQL), standard services (like SMB or SSH), network device administration and management protocols (like SNMP and Smart Install), and any other applications with Internet accessible open sockets, such as web servers and related services. Depending on the flaw being exploited this may include
Exploitation for Defense Evasion [MITRE]
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If an application is hosted on cloud-based infrastructure and/or is containerized, then exploiting it may lead to compromise of the underlying instance or container. This can allow an adversary a path to access the cloud or container APIs (e.g., via the Cloud Instance Metadata API), exploit container host access via Escape to Host, or take advantage of weak identity and access management policies
For websites and databases, the OWASP top 10 and CWE top 25 highlight the most common web-based vulnerabilities.
Detection
Monitor application logs for abnormal behavior that may indicate attempted or successful exploitation. Use deep packet inspection to look for artifacts of common exploit traffic, such as SQL injection. Web Application Firewalls may detect improper inputs attempting exploitation.| ID | Data Source | Data Component | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS0015 | Application Log | Application Log Content | Detecting software exploitation may be difficult depending on the tools available. Software exploits may not always succeed or may cause the exploited process to become unstable or crsash. Web Application Firewalls may detect improper iputs attempting exploitation. Web Application Firewalls may detect improper inputs attempting exploitation. Web server logs (e.g., /var/log/httpd or /var/log/apache for Apache web servers on Linux) may also record evidence of exploitation. |
| DS0029 | Network Traffic | Network Traffic Content | Use deep packet inspection to look for artifacts of common exploit traffic, such as SQL injection strings or known payloads. For example, monitor ofr successively chained functions that adversaries commonly abuse (i.e. gadget chaining) through unsafe deserialization to exploit publicly facing application for initial access. In AWS environments, monitor VPC flow logs and/or Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) logs going to and from instances hosting externally accessible applications. |