MITRE ATT&CK / Techniques / T1518

Software Discovery

ID
T1518
Tactics
TA0007 Discovery
Platforms
ESXi, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Data sources
Process Creation, Command Execution, Cloud Service Enumeration, Application Log Content
Source
attack.mitre.org
MITRE last modified
12 May 2026

Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of software and software versions that are installed on a system or in a cloud environment. Adversaries may use the information from Software Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not the adversary fully infects the target and/or attempts specific actions.

Such software may be deployed widely across the environment for configuration management or security reasons, such as Software Deployment Tools, and may allow adversaries broad access to infect devices or move laterally.

Adversaries may attempt to enumerate software for a variety of reasons, such as figuring out what security measures are present or if the compromised system has a version of software that is vulnerable to Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.

Sub-techniques (2)

Detection

Groups (12)

Software (39)