An adversary modifies a technology, product, or component during its development to acheive a negative impact once the system is deployed. The goal of the adversary is to modify the system in such a way that the negative impact can be leveraged when the system is later deployed. Development alteration attacks may include attacks that insert malicious logic into the system's software, modify or replace hardware components, and other attacks which negatively impact the system during development. These attacks generally require insider access to modify source code or to tamper with hardware components. The product is then delivered to the user where the negative impact can be leveraged at a later time.

How do you prevent CAPEC-444?

Assess software and software components during development and prior to deployment to ensure that they function as intended and without any malicious functionality.

How severe is CAPEC-444?

MITRE rates CAPEC-444 as High severity with medium likelihood of attack.

CAPEC-444: Development Alteration

Overview

CAPEC-444 (Development Alteration) is a standard-level attack pattern catalogued by MITRE in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC). It describes a recurring method attackers use to exploit software weaknesses.

What the attacker needs

Prerequisites

Access to the system during the development phase to alter and/or modify software and hardware components. This access is often obtained via insider access or by leveraging another attack pattern to gain permissions that the adversary wouldn't normally have.

Consequences

What a successful CAPEC-444 attack can achieve.

Execute Unauthorized Commands

Affects: Authorization

Unreliable Execution

Affects: Availability

Alter Execution Logic

Affects: Integrity

How to mitigate it

Defenses that reduce the risk of CAPEC-444.

Assess software and software components during development and prior to deployment to ensure that they function as intended and without any malicious functionality.

How this attack relates to others in the CAPEC hierarchy.

Parent

CAPEC-438: Modification During Manufacture

Child

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about CAPEC-444.

What is CAPEC-444?: An adversary modifies a technology, product, or component during its development to acheive a negative impact once the system is deployed. The goal of the adversary is to modify the system in such a way that the negative impact can be leveraged when the system is later deployed. Development alteration attacks may include attacks that insert malicious logic into the system's software, modify or replace hardware components, and other attacks which negatively impact the system during development. These attacks generally require insider access to modify source code or to tamper with hardware components. The product is then delivered to the user where the negative impact can be leveraged at a later time.
How do you prevent CAPEC-444?: Assess software and software components during development and prior to deployment to ensure that they function as intended and without any malicious functionality.
How severe is CAPEC-444?: MITRE rates CAPEC-444 as High severity with medium likelihood of attack.

References

Attack-pattern data is sourced from the MITRE CAPEC catalog (v3.9). Weakness associations link to the corresponding CWE entries on RadicalNotion.AI.