CAPEC-421: Influence Perception of Authority

MITRE CAPEC attack pattern

Description

An adversary uses a social engineering technique to convey a sense of authority that motivates the target to reveal specific information or take specific action. There are various techniques for producing a sense of authority during ordinary modes of communication. One common method is impersonation. By impersonating someone with a position of power within an organization, an adversary may motivate the target individual to reveal some piece of sensitive information or perform an action that benefits the adversary.

Prerequisites

• The adversary must have the means and knowledge of how to communicate with the target in some manner.

Skills required

• Low: The adversary requires strong inter-personal and communication skills.

Consequences

• Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: Other

Mitigations

• An organization should provide regular, robust cybersecurity training to its employees to prevent social engineering attacks.

Source

• MITRE CAPEC CAPEC-421