CAPEC-520 Detail

An adversary with either direct access to the product assembly process or to the supply of subcomponents used in the product assembly process introduces counterfeit hardware components into product assembly. The assembly containing the counterfeit components results in a system specifically designed for malicious purposes.

Prerequisites

The adversary will need either physical access or be able to supply malicious hardware components to the product development facility.

Skills Required

Resources to maliciously construct components used by the manufacturer.
Resources to physically infiltrate manufacturer or manufacturer's supplier.

Mitigations

Hardware attacks are often difficult to detect, as inserted components can be difficult to identify or remain dormant for an extended period of time.
Acquire hardware and hardware components from trusted vendors. Additionally, determine where vendors purchase components or if any components are created/acquired via subcontractors to determine where supply chain risks may exist.

References

REF-439

Supply Chain Attack Framework and Attack Patterns
John F. Miller.
http://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/publications/supply-chain-attack-framework-14-0228.pdf

REF-712

Guarding against supply chain attacks—Part 2: Hardware risks
Cristin Goodwin, Joram Borenstein.
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/02/03/guarding-against-supply-chain-attacks-part-2-hardware-risks/

REF-713

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies
Jordan Robertson, Michael Riley.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies

Submission

Modifications