CAPEC-518 Metadata
Likelihood of Attack
Low
Typical Severity
High
Overview
Summary
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.
Potential Solutions / 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.
Related CAPECs
| CAPEC ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CAPEC-447 | An adversary modifies the design of a technology, product, or component to acheive a negative impact once the system is deployed. In this type of attack, the goal of the adversary is to modify the design of the system, prior to development starting, in such a way that the negative impact can be leveraged when the system is later deployed. Design alteration attacks differ from development alteration attacks in that design alteration attacks take place prior to development and which then may or may not be developed by the adverary. Design alteration attacks include modifying system designs to degrade system performance, cause unexpected states or errors, and general design changes that may lead to additional vulnerabilities. These attacks generally require insider access to modify design documents, but they may also be spoofed via web communications. The product is then developed and delivered to the user where the negative impact can be leveraged at a later time. |
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