CAPEC-690: Metadata Spoofing
Description
An adversary alters the metadata of a resource (e.g., file, directory, repository, etc.) to present a malicious resource as legitimate/credible.
- Likelihood of attack
- Medium
- Typical severity
- High
- Abstraction
- MetaA decidedly abstract characterisation of a methodology or technique.
Mechanism of attack: Engage in Deceptive Interactions
Prerequisites
- Identification of a resource whose metadata is to be spoofed
Skills required
- MediumAbility to spoof a variety of metadata to convince victims the source is trusted
Consequences
- Integrity
Modify Data
- Accountability
Hide Activities
- Access ControlAuthorization
Execute Unauthorized Commands
Mitigations
- Validate metadata of resources such as authors, timestamps, and statistics.
- Confirm the pedigree of open source packages and ensure the code being downloaded does not originate from another source.
- Even if the metadata is properly checked and a user believes it to be legitimate, there may still be a chance that they've been duped. Therefore, leverage automated testing techniques to determine where malicious areas of the code may exist.
Related weaknesses (CWE)
CAPEC 3.9 links no CWE weakness to this pattern.