RE: On classifying attacks

["Forte Systems - Iosif Peterfi" <toto () fortesys ro>]

Well, yes. Interaction level is the key in the classification.
Wonder if the community will make use of it.

Iosif Peterfi
Network Administrator
S.C. Forte Systems SRL
http://www.fortesys.ro/


-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Nelson [mailto:tim.nelson () webalive biz]
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 5:46 AM
To: Forte Systems - Iosif Peterfi
Cc: 'Crispin Cowan'; 'Technica Forensis'; 'Black, Michael'; 'James
Longstreet'; 'Derek Martin'; bugtraq () securityfocus com
Subject: RE: On classifying attacks

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005, Forte Systems - Iosif Peterfi wrote:

> Ok, so let's split them like this:
>
> 1. Simple
>  1.1 Remote
>  1.2 Local
> 2. Compound
>  2.1 Social engineered
>  2.2 Technical
>  2.3 Local

        I prefer something just as simple, but maybe more flexible:
1.      Interaction level
        i)      Automatic (no victim action required)
        ii)     Semi-Automatic (victim performs some normally safe action,
                ie. opening e-mail, or a cron job runs)
        iii)    Manual (victim is socially engineered into performing
                su -c 'rm -rf /' or some such stupid thing)
2.      Target
        i)      Access
        ii)     Elevation (Privilege elevation)

        For all attacks, select one item from section 1, and one from
section 2.

        Traditional remote attacks are Automatic Access attacks.
Traditional local attacks are Automatic Elevation attacks.  E-mail trojans
are Semi-Automatic or Manual Access attacks.

Daniel Weber wrote:
> I've seen a lot of classification schemes proposed on Bugtraq in the
> intervening years, some of them quite good.  (Search the archives for
> "taxonomy" or "classification".)  But unless they are -very- simple to
> use, they won't be taken up by the community.  If you can come up with
> a single word that imputes the concept of "malicious data that I can
> easily get onto the victim's machine and in front of the victim's
> eyes but requires him to run it," that would be a great step forward.

        Hmm.  Methinks I need to use more hyphens; Semi-Automatic-Access
attack :).

        HTH,

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