CAPEC-384: Application API Message Manipulation via Man-in-the-Middle
Description
An attacker manipulates either egress or ingress data from a client within an application framework in order to change the content of messages. Performing this attack can allow the attacker to gain unauthorized privileges within the application, or conduct attacks such as phishing, deceptive strategies to spread malware, or traditional web-application attacks. The techniques require use of specialized software that allow the attacker to perform adversary-in-the-middle (CAPEC-94) communications between the web browser and the remote system. Despite the use of AiTH software, the attack is actually directed at the server, as the client is one node in a series of content brokers that pass information along to the application framework. Additionally, it is not true Adversary-in-the-Middle attack at the network layer, but an application-layer attack the root cause of which is the master applications trust in the integrity of code supplied by the client.
- Likelihood of attack
- Not rated by MITRE
- Typical severity
- Low
- Abstraction
- StandardA specific methodology or technique used in an attack.
Mechanism of attack: Subvert Access Control
Prerequisites
- Targeted software is utilizing application framework APIs
Mitigations
CAPEC 3.9 lists no mitigation for this pattern; see its child patterns or related weaknesses.