Why Cyber Attacks Happen in Stages: Introduction to MITRE ATT&CK

As I continue my cybersecurity and GRC journey, I recently explored the basics of MITRE ATT&CK, one of the most widely used frameworks for understanding attacker behavior.

One important lesson I learned is that cyber attacks rarely happen in a single step.

Most attacks follow stages.

For example:

phishing email ↓ stolen credentials ↓ unauthorized login ↓ privilege escalation ↓ data theft

MITRE ATT&CK helps security professionals understand:

• attacker goals (tactics);
• methods attackers use (techniques);
• how attacks progress through systems.

Some important tactics include:

• Initial Access;
• Credential Access;
• Persistence;
• Privilege Escalation.

Understanding attacker behavior is important not only for technical security teams, but also for risk management and business protection.

Cybersecurity is not just about technology. It is also about understanding how technical attacks become business risks.

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