T1686.001 · defense-impairment · ATT&CK 19.1

Cloud Firewall

Adversaries may disable or modify a firewall within a cloud environment to bypass controls that limit access to cloud resources. Cloud environments typically utilize restrictive security groups and firewall rules that only allow network activity from trusted IP addresses via expected ports and protocols. An adversary with appropriate permissions may introduce new firewall rules or policies to allow access into a victim cloud environment and/or move laterally from the cloud control plane to the data plane. For example, an adversary may use a script or utility that creates new ingress rules in existing security groups (or creates new security groups entirely) to allow any TCP/IP connectivity to a cloud-hosted instance. They may also remove networking limitations to support traffic associated with malicious activity (such as cryptomining).(Citation: Palo Alto Unit 42 Compromised Cloud Compute Credentials 2022)(Citation: Expel AWS)

Open in the interactive knowledge mesh

Detection overview

Use the published detection strategies below and validate required telemetry in the target environment.

Observed groups

No current Enterprise group relationship is published in this bundle.

Cyber Knowledge context

Use these routes to move from the ATT&CK behavior into explanation, implementation, evidence handling, validation, and defensive operations. Relevance is generated from explicit identifiers/names and governed topic mappings; it is not attribution evidence.

MITRE mitigations

M1047 · Audit

Auditing is the process of recording activity and systematically reviewing and analyzing the activity and system configurations. The primary purpose of auditing is to detect anomalies and identify potential threats or weaknesses in the environment. Proper auditing configurations can also help to meet compliance requirements. The process of auditing encompasses regular analysis of user behaviors and system logs in support of proactive security measures. Auditing is applicable to all systems used within an organization, from the front door of a building to accessing a file on a fileserver. It is considered more critical for regulated industries such as, healthcare, finance and government where compliance requirements demand stringent tracking of user and system activates.This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: System Audit: - Use Case: Regularly assess system co…

MITRE mitigation source
M1018 · User Account Management

User Account Management involves implementing and enforcing policies for the lifecycle of user accounts, including creation, modification, and deactivation. Proper account management reduces the attack surface by limiting unauthorized access, managing account privileges, and ensuring accounts are used according to organizational policies. This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: Enforcing the Principle of Least Privilege - Implementation: Assign users only the minimum permissions required to perform their job functions. Regularly audit accounts to ensure no excess permissions are granted. - Use Case: Reduces the risk of privilege escalation by ensuring accounts cannot perform unauthorized actions. Implementing Strong Password Policies - Implementation: Enforce password complexity requirements (e.g., length, character types). Require password expiration every 90…

MITRE mitigation source

MITRE detection strategies and analytics

DET0424 · Detection Strategy for Disable or Modify Cloud Firewall
  • AN1188 · Analytic 1188 — Creation, deletion, or modification of security groups and firewall rules in cloud control plane logs that expand access to cloud resources beyond expected baselines. Defender view: unexpected ingress/egress rules permitting 0.0.0.0/0 or opening atypical ports, often correlated with privileged role or API key activity.
MITRE detection source