Table of Contents
What is MITRE ATT&CK?
MITRE ATT&CK stands for Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge. It is a globally recognized knowledge base of cybercriminal behavior models, tactics, and techniques. These behaviors are organized in a matrix format that provides deep insight into how adversaries operate before, during, and after an attack.
Why does MITRE ATT&CK matter?
The primary goal of the MITRE ATT&CK framework is to improve threat detection and identify gaps in security defenses. Originally developed to accelerate the detection of advanced persistent threats (APTs), the framework helps security teams understand:
- How attackers infiltrate systems
- What methods they use
- Where an organization’s defense mechanisms may be weak
The average time to detect a targeted attack is about five months. That’s plenty of time for attackers to learn your environment and exfiltrate sensitive data.
Sycope + MITRE ATT&CK = Comprehensive Network Defense
Aligning with industry-standard frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK is a crucial benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of security tools. Sycope’s security module leverages over 60 detection rules mapped directly to the MITRE ATT&CK framework. These rules detect a wide range of tactics and techniques including but not limited to:
Covered Tactics:
- Initial
- Access Execution
- Persistence
- Privilege Escalation
- Defense Evasion
- Credential Access
- Discovery
- Lateral Movement
- Collection
- Command and Control
- Exfiltration
- Impact
Example Techniques Detected by Sycope
Below are some key techniques covered under Sycope’s rule set, mapped to relevant ATT&CK tactics:
- Application Layer Protocol (T1071) – C2 using legitimate protocols
- Non-Standard Port (T1571) – Unusual network behavior
- Proxy Usage (T1090) – Traffic redirection for obfuscation
- Brute Force (T1110) – Repeated access attempts
- Adversary-in-the-Middle (T1557) – Intercepting communications
- Network Service Scanning (T1046) – Discovery of open services
- System Network Configuration Discovery (T1016) – Mapping networks
- Data Transfer Size Limits (T1030) – Large or unusual data uploads
- Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499) – Degrading network availability
- Phishing (T1566) – Unusual traffic linked to phishing infrastructure
- Resource Hijacking (T1496) – Cryptomining indicators
- Drive-by Compromise (T1189) – Indirect infection methods
- Exploitation of Remote Services (T1210) – Unusual remote access behavior
Additional Alert Types (Indicative of Techniques):
Sycope also detects threats using behavioral signatures, such as:
- Botnet via DNS
- DDoS Attacks (DNS Amplification, Protocol Flood)
- Large Upload Traffic (e.g., to Google Drive)
- Suspicious IPs (TOR, Malware, Cryptomining, Phishing)
- Unauthorized Access (LDAP, RDP, DNS, LLMNR/NetBIOS)
- Unusual Traffic Patterns (PPS, BPS, packet counts)
- SYN Floods, APIPA Address Assignment
- Unexpected Retransmissions
- Unprotected Docker Daemon Exposure
Why This Coverage Matters
By integrating MITRE ATT&CK mapping directly into its detection rules and dashboards, Sycope allows security teams to:
- Support compliance and risk audits
- Fewer blind spots in your detection capabilities
- Faster incident response due to pre-built, actionable alerts
- Improved threat hunting with mapped rules and dashboards
- Enhanced visibility across lateral movement, C2, and exfiltration
- Support compliance and risk audits
With 95% coverage of the MITRE ATT&CK framework for network security, Sycope provides security operations centers (SOCs) with a robust and pre-configured system for detecting, analyzing, and responding to a broad spectrum of cyber threats — from lateral movement to command and control activities.
