type: attack-pattern
spec_version: 2.1
id: attack-pattern--960c3c86-1480-4d72-b4e0-8c242e84a5c5
created: 2020-02-11T18:18:34.279Z
created_by_ref: identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5
revoked: no
external_references: source_name: mitre-attack
url: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1554
external_id: T1554
source_name: Google Cloud Mandiant UNC3886 2024
description:  Punsaen Boonyakarn, Shawn Chew, Logeswaran Nadarajan, Mathew Potaczek, Jakub Jozwiak, and Alex Marvi. (2024, June 18). Cloaked and Covert: Uncovering UNC3886 Espionage Operations. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
url: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/uncovering-unc3886-espionage-operations
source_name: Unit42 Banking Trojans Hooking 2022
description: Or Chechik. (2022, October 31). Banking Trojan Techniques: How Financially Motivated Malware Became Infrastructure. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
url: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/banking-trojan-techniques/#post-125550-_rm3d6xxbk52n
source_name: ESET FontOnLake Analysis 2021
description: Vladislav Hrčka. (2021, January 1). FontOnLake. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
url: https://web-assets.esetstatic.com/wls/2021/10/eset_fontonlake.pdf
object_marking_refs: marking-definition--fa42a846-8d90-4e51-bc29-71d5b4802168
modified: 2025-10-24T17:49:07.572Z
name: Compromise Host Software Binary
description: Adversaries may modify host software binaries to establish persistent access to systems. Software binaries/executables provide a wide range of system commands or services, programs, and libraries. Common software binaries are SSH clients, FTP clients, email clients, web browsers, and many other user or server applications.

Adversaries may establish persistence though modifications to host software binaries. For example, an adversary may replace or otherwise infect a legitimate application binary (or support files) with a backdoor. Since these binaries may be routinely executed by applications or the user, the adversary can leverage this for persistent access to the host. An adversary may also modify a software binary such as an SSH client in order to persistently collect credentials during logins (i.e., [Modify Authentication Process](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1556)).(Citation: Google Cloud Mandiant UNC3886 2024)

An adversary may also modify an existing binary by patching in malicious functionality (e.g., IAT Hooking/Entry point patching)(Citation: Unit42 Banking Trojans Hooking 2022) prior to the binary’s legitimate execution. For example, an adversary may modify the entry point of a binary to point to malicious code patched in by the adversary before resuming normal execution flow.(Citation: ESET FontOnLake Analysis 2021)

After modifying a binary, an adversary may attempt to [Impair Defenses](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562) by preventing it from updating (e.g., via the `yum-versionlock` command or `versionlock.list` file in Linux systems that use the yum package manager).(Citation: Google Cloud Mandiant UNC3886 2024)
kill_chain_phases: kill_chain_name: mitre-attack
phase_name: persistence
x_mitre_attack_spec_version: 3.2.0
x_mitre_contributors: CrowdStrike Falcon OverWatch
Liran Ravich, CardinalOps
Jamie Williams (U ω U), PANW Unit 42
x_mitre_deprecated: no
x_mitre_domains: enterprise-attack
x_mitre_is_subtechnique: no
x_mitre_modified_by_ref: identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5
x_mitre_platforms: Linux
macOS
Windows
ESXi
x_mitre_version: 2.2