CAPEC-518

Detailed Abstraction Level
Meta — Very abstract, high-level category
Standard — Specific enough to understand
Detailed — Tied to specific technique Draft MITRE CAPEC Status
Stable — Fully reviewed and complete
Draft — Under development
Incomplete — Partially defined
Deprecated — No longer recommended
Obsolete — Replaced by another CAPEC Likelihood: Low Severity: High
Documentation Alteration to Produce Under-performing Systems

Description

An attacker with access to a manufacturer's documentation alters the descriptions of system capabilities with the intent of causing errors in derived system requirements, impacting the overall effectiveness and capability of the system, allowing an attacker to take advantage of the introduced system capability flaw once the system is deployed.

Prerequisites

Advanced knowledge of software and hardware capabilities of a manufacturer's product.

Access to the manufacturer's documentation.

Mitigations

Digitize documents and cryptographically sign them to verify authenticity.

Password protect documents and make them read-only for unauthorized users.

Avoid emailing important documents and configurations.

Ensure deleted files are actually deleted.

Maintain backups of the document for recovery and verification.

Separate need-to-know information from system configuration information depending on the user.

Skills Required

[High] Ability to read, interpret, and subsequently alter manufacturer's documentation to misrepresent system capabilities.

[High] Ability to stealthly gain access via remote compromise or physical access to the manufacturer's documentation.