MITRE ATT&CK  /  T1689

T1689

Downgrade Attack

Description

Adversaries may downgrade or use a version of system features that may be outdated, vulnerable, and/or does not support updated security controls. Downgrade attacks typically take advantage of a system’s backward compatibility to force it into less secure modes of operation.Adversaries may downgrade and use various less-secure versions of features of a system, such as [Command and Scripting Interpreter](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059) or even network protocols that can be abused to enable [Adversary-in-the-Middle](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1557) or [Network Sniffing](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1040).(Citation: Praetorian TLS Downgrade Attack 2014) For example, [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) versions 5+ includes Script Block Logging (SBL), which can record executed script content. However, adversaries may attempt to execute a previous version of PowerShell that does not support SBL with the intent to impair defenses while running malicious scripts that may have otherwise been detected.(Citation: CrowdStrike downgrade attack)(Citation: Google Cloud downgrade attack)(Citation: att_def_ps_logging)Adversaries may similarly target network traffic to downgrade from an encrypted HTTPS connection to an unsecured HTTP connection that exposes network data in clear text.(Citation: Targeted SSL Stripping Attacks Are Real)(Citation: CrowdStrike Downgrade attack 2) On Windows systems, adversaries may downgrade the boot manager…

Platforms

Mitigations

• M1054 — Software Configuration
• M1042 — Disable or Remove Feature or Program

Source: MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise matrix. View on attack.mitre.org →