CAPEC-675 Metadata
Likelihood of Attack
Medium
Typical Severity
Medium
Overview
Summary
An adversary obtains decommissioned, recycled, or discarded systems and devices that can include an organization’s intellectual property, employee data, and other types of controlled information. Systems and devices that have reached the end of their lifecycles may be subject to recycle or disposal where they can be exposed to adversarial attempts to retrieve information from internal memory chips and storage devices that are part of the system.
Prerequisites
An adversary needs to have access to electronic data processing equipment being recycled or disposed of (e.g., laptops, servers) at a collection location and the ability to take control of it for the purpose of exploiting its content.
Potential Solutions / Mitigations
Backup device data before erasure to retain intellectual property and inside knowledge. Overwrite data on device rather than deleting. Deleted data can still be recovered, even if the device trash can is emptied. Rewriting data removes any trace of the old data. Performing multiple overwrites followed by a zeroing of the device (overwriting with all zeros) is good practice. Use a secure erase software. Physically destroy the device if it is not intended to be reused. Using a specialized service to disintegrate, burn, melt or pulverize the device can be effective, but if those services are inaccessible, drilling nails or holes, or smashing the device with a hammer can be effective. Do not burn, microwave, or pour acid on a hard drive. Physically destroy memory and SIM cards for mobile devices not intended to be reused. Ensure that the user account has been terminated or switched to a new device before destroying.
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-1266 | Improper Scrubbing of Sensitive Data from Decommissioned Device |
Related CAPECs
| CAPEC ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CAPEC-37 | An attacker examines a target system to find sensitive data that has been embedded within it. This information can reveal confidential contents, such as account numbers or individual keys/credentials that can be used as an intermediate step in a larger attack. |
| CAPEC-116 | An adversary actively probes the target in a manner that is designed to solicit information that could be leveraged for malicious purposes. |
Taxonomy Mappings
Taxonomy: ATTACK
| Entry ID | Entry Name |
|---|---|
| 1052 | Exfiltration Over Physical Medium |
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