CyberStack

MITRE ATT&CK / Techniques / T1195

Supply Chain Compromise

ID
T1195
Tactics
TA0001 Initial Access
Platforms
Linux, Windows, macOS, SaaS
Data sources
Process Creation, Module Load, File Creation, File Metadata, Network Traffic Flow, Process Modification, File Modification
Source
attack.mitre.org
MITRE last modified
25 Oct 2025

Adversaries may manipulate products or product delivery mechanisms prior to receipt by a final consumer for the purpose of data or system compromise.

Supply chain compromise can take place at any stage of the supply chain including:

  • Manipulation of development tools
  • Manipulation of a development environment
  • Manipulation of source code repositories (public or private)
  • Manipulation of source code in open-source dependencies
  • Manipulation of software update/distribution mechanisms
  • Compromised/infected system images (removable media infected at the factory)[3][4]
  • Replacement of legitimate software with modified versions
  • Sales of modified/counterfeit products to legitimate distributors
  • Shipment interdiction

While supply chain compromise can impact any component of hardware or software, adversaries looking to gain execution have often focused on malicious additions to legitimate software in software distribution or update channels.[5][6][7] Adversaries may limit targeting to a desired victim set or distribute malicious software to a broad set of consumers but only follow up with specific victims.[8][5][7] Popular open-source projects that are used as dependencies in many applications may also be targeted as a means to add malicious code to users of the dependency.[9]

In some cases, adversaries may conduct “second-order” supply chain compromises by leveraging the access gained from an initial supply chain compromise to further compromise a software component.[10] This may allow the threat actor to spread to even more victims.

Sub-techniques (3)

Detection

Mitigations (6)

M1013 Application Developer Guidance

Application developers should be cautious when selecting third-party libraries to integrate into their application. Additionally, where possible, developers should lock software dependencies to specific versions rather than pulling the latest version on build.[1]

M1016 Vulnerability Scanning

Continuous monitoring of vulnerability sources and the use of automatic and manual code review tools should also be implemented as well.[2]

M1018 User Account Management

Implement robust user account management practices to limit permissions associated with software execution. Ensure that software runs with the lowest necessary privileges, avoiding the use of root or administrator accounts when possible. By restricting permissions, you can minimize the risk of propagation and unauthorized actions in the event of a supply chain compromise, reducing the attack surface for adversaries to exploit within compromised systems.

M1033 Limit Software Installation

Where possible, consider requiring developers to pull from internal repositories containing verified and approved packages rather than from external ones.[1]

M1046 Boot Integrity

Use secure methods to boot a system and verify the integrity of the operating system and loading mechanisms.

M1051 Update Software

A patch management process should be implemented to check unused dependencies, unmaintained and/or previously vulnerable dependencies, unnecessary features, components, files, and documentation.

Groups (3)

Software (2)

References

  1. Cider Security Top 10 CICD Security Risks
  2. OWASP Top 10
  3. IBM Storwize
  4. Schneider Electric USB Malware
  5. Avast CCleaner3 2018
  6. Microsoft Dofoil 2018
  7. Command Five SK 2011
  8. Symantec Elderwood Sept 2012
  9. Trendmicro NPM Compromise
  10. Krebs 3cx overview 2023