T0820 Exploitation For Evasion

---
name: "T0820_exploitation-for-evasion"
description: "Adversaries may exploit a software vulnerability to take advantage of a programming error in a program, service, or within the operating system software or kernel itself to evade detection."
category: "configuration"
version: "18.1"
author: "cyberstrike-official"
tags:
  - mitre-attack
  - ics
  - t0820
  - evasion
technique_id: "T0820"
tactic: "evasion"
all_tactics:
  - evasion
platforms:
  - ICS
mitre_url: "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T0820"
tech_stack:
  - ics
cwe_ids:
  - CWE-693
chains_with: []
prerequisites: []
severity_boost: {}
---

# T0820 Exploitation for Evasion

## High-Level Description

Adversaries may exploit a software vulnerability to take advantage of a programming error in a program, service, or within the operating system software or kernel itself to evade detection. Vulnerabilities may exist in software that can be used to disable or circumvent security features.

Adversaries may have prior knowledge through Remote System Information Discovery about security features implemented on control devices. These device security features will likely be targeted directly for exploitation. There are examples of firmware RAM/ROM consistency checks on control devices being targeted by adversaries to enable the installation of malicious System Firmware.

## Kill Chain Phase

- Evasion (TA0103)

**Platforms:** ICS

## What to Check

- [ ] Identify if Exploitation for Evasion technique is applicable to target ICS environment
- [ ] Check ICS/SCADA systems for indicators of Exploitation for Evasion
- [ ] Verify mitigations are bypassed or absent (4 known mitigations)
- [ ] Assess detection coverage (1 detection strategies)

## How to Test

### Identify Attack Surface

Determine if the target ICS/SCADA environment is susceptible to Exploitation for Evasion by examining operational technology systems and network architecture.

### Assess Existing Defenses

Review whether mitigations for T0820 are in place. If defenses are absent or misconfigured, this technique may be exploitable in the ICS environment.

## Remediation Guide

### M0919 Threat Intelligence Program

Develop a robust cyber threat intelligence capability to determine what types and levels of threat may use software exploits and 0-days against a particular organization.

### M0950 Exploit Protection

Security applications that look for behavior used during exploitation such as Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG) and the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) can be used to mitigate some exploitation behavior. Control flow integrity checking is another way to potentially identify and stop a software exploit from occurring. Many of these protections depend on the architecture and target application binary for compatibility and may not work for all software or services targeted.

### M0948 Application Isolation and Sandboxing

Make it difficult for adversaries to advance their operation through exploitation of undiscovered or unpatched vulnerabilities by using sandboxing. Other types of virtualization and application microsegmentation may also mitigate the impact of some types of exploitation. Risks of additional exploits and weaknesses in these systems may still exist.

### M0951 Update Software

Update software regularly by employing patch management for internal enterprise endpoints and servers.

## Detection

### Detection of Exploitation for Evasion

## Risk Assessment

| Finding                                       | Severity | Impact  |
| --------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------- |
| Exploitation for Evasion technique applicable | High     | Evasion |

## CWE Categories

| CWE ID  | Title                        |
| ------- | ---------------------------- |
| CWE-693 | Protection Mechanism Failure |

## References

- [MITRE ATT&CK ICS - T0820](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T0820)