Data Manipulation: Transmitted Data Manipulation

Adversaries may alter data en route to storage or other systems in order to manipulate external outcomes or hide activity, thus threatening the integrity of the data.[1][2] By manipulating transmitted data, adversaries may attempt to affect a business process, organizational understanding, and decision making.

Manipulation may be possible over a network connection or between system processes where there is an opportunity deploy a tool that will intercept and change information. The type of modification and the impact it will have depends on the target transmission mechanism as well as the goals and objectives of the adversary. For complex systems, an adversary would likely need special expertise and possibly access to specialized software related to the system that would typically be gained through a prolonged information gathering campaign in order to have the desired impact.

ID: T1565.002
Sub-technique of:  T1565
Tactic: Impact
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS
Impact Type: Integrity
Version: 1.1
Created: 02 March 2020
Last Modified: 24 October 2025

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
G0082 APT38

APT38 has used DYEPACK to manipulate SWIFT messages en route to a printer.[1]

S0395 LightNeuron

LightNeuron is capable of modifying email content, headers, and attachments during transit.[3]

S0530 Melcoz

Melcoz can monitor the clipboard for cryptocurrency addresses and change the intended address to one controlled by the adversary.[4]

S0455 Metamorfo

Metamorfo has a function that can watch the contents of the system clipboard for valid bitcoin addresses, which it then overwrites with the attacker's address.[5][6]

Mitigations

ID Mitigation Description
M1041 Encrypt Sensitive Information

Encrypt all important data flows to reduce the impact of tailored modifications on data in transit.

Detection Strategy

ID Name Analytic ID Analytic Description
DET0254 Detection Strategy of Transmitted Data Manipulation AN0702

Monitor for anomalies in transmitted data streams, including mismatched file integrity checks, API interception, or man-in-the-middle modifications. Detect unexpected use of APIs that handle network I/O where transmitted data integrity could be manipulated.

AN0703

Detect alterations of transmitted data via monitoring syscalls (send, recv, write) or middleware interception. Identify mismatched file hashes when compared at origin vs. destination. Watch for anomalous activity from processes interacting with secure transmission services (e.g., OpenSSL, scp).

AN0704

Monitor system APIs such as CFNetwork and SecureTransport for anomalies in transmitted data streams. Detect mismatches in file hashes or SSL/TLS downgrade attempts that enable manipulation of transmitted data.

References