CAPEC-173 Metadata
Likelihood of Attack
High
Typical Severity
Very High
Overview
Summary
An adversary is able to disguise one action for another and therefore trick a user into initiating one type of action when they intend to initiate a different action. For example, a user might be led to believe that clicking a button will submit a query, but in fact it downloads software. Adversaries may perform this attack through social means, such as by simply convincing a victim to perform the action or relying on a user's natural inclination to do so, or through technical means, such as a clickjacking attack where a user sees one interface but is actually interacting with a second, invisible, interface.
Prerequisites
The adversary must convince the victim into performing the decoy action. The adversary must have the means to control a user's interface to present them with a decoy action as well as the actual malicious action. Simple versions of this attack can be performed using web pages requiring only that the adversary be able to host (or control) content that the user visits.
Potential Solutions / Mitigations
Avoid interacting with suspicious sites or clicking suspicious links. An organization should provide regular, robust cybersecurity training to its employees.
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-451 | User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation of Critical Information |
Stay Ahead of Attack Patterns
Understanding CAPEC patterns helps security professionals anticipate and thwart potential attacks. Leverage these insights to enhance threat modeling, strengthen your software development lifecycle, and train your security teams effectively.