CyberStack

MITRE ATT&CK / Techniques / T1583.003

Acquire Infrastructure: Virtual Private Server

ID
T1583.003
Tactics
TA0042 Resource Development
Sub-technique of
T1583 Acquire Infrastructure
Platforms
PRE
Data sources
Response Content, Response Metadata
Source
attack.mitre.org
MITRE last modified
18 Sep 2026

Adversaries may rent Virtual Private Servers (VPSs) that can be used during targeting. There exist a variety of cloud service providers that will sell virtual machines/containers as a service. By utilizing a VPS, adversaries can make it difficult to physically tie back operations to them. The use of cloud infrastructure can also make it easier for adversaries to rapidly provision, modify, and shut down their infrastructure.

Acquiring a VPS for use in later stages of the adversary lifecycle, such as Command and Control, can allow adversaries to benefit from the ubiquity and trust associated with higher reputation cloud service providers. Adversaries may also acquire infrastructure from VPS service providers that are known for renting VPSs with minimal registration information, allowing for more anonymous acquisitions of infrastructure.[1]

Detection

Mitigations (1)

M1056 Pre-compromise

This technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls.

Groups (19)

References

  1. TrendmicroHideoutsLease