MITRE Att&ck integration with STRIDE threats

[saurabhsh5]

What problem does your feature request solve?
Currently, the tool does a good job of decomposing the architecture and applying threats according to the STRIDE framework. This still leaves some gaps in determining the cybersecurity requirements that the process/implementation needs to adhere to to determine the risk response plan.

Solution:
The solution I am proposing is that we can create an additional layer of taxonomy of threats under STRIDE to identify the attacker's tactics and techniques which might be used to identify the right defenses. These can become the cybersecurity requirements for the process/implementation that we are threat modeling.

This combined process for threat modeling can be like:
The first step is to identify the process and map out the dataflows and interactions between them and the trust boundaries.[StrideGPT is capable of this]

Second, for each of the subsystems, enumerate a STRIDE matrix listing the mnemonics.
Third, the 12 ATT&CK tactics are tallied. Enumerated tactics are:
• Initial Access
• Execution
• Persistence
• Privilege Escalation
• Defense Evasion
• Credential Access
• Discovery
• Lateral Movement
• Collection
• Command and Control
• Exfiltration
• Impact

In Step 4, for each of the tactics within each of the STRIDE mnemonics, the applicable techniques are evaluated. For instance, for the STRIDE mnemonic of spoofing, the 12 tactics are evaluated for ATT&CK threat techniques that could result in spoofing against authenticity. In other words, Steps 2 through 4 are a process of elimination.

Advantages:

1. Using consistent semantics and vocabulary to communicate threats.
2. Understanding the adversary tactics which helps visualize the defenses to those threats.
3. Use the open-source framework created by MITRE to educate the development teams about various threats and associated remediations.
4. Identify cybersecurity requirements that help defend against multiple threats. [e.g.] Preventing Initial access can remediate other threats that are not directly related.

References:
https://blog.isc2.org/isc2_blog/2020/02/under-attack-how-mitres-methodology-to-find-threats-and-embed-counter-measures-might-work-in-your-or.html

[hype8912]

Pull request #32 has some Mitre Att&ck stuff in it if you wanted to pull that

[mrwadams]

@claude Create a plan for implementing the feature(s) detailed in the issue description.

[claude]

Claude finished @mrwadams's task —— View job

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Implementation Plan for MITRE ATT&CK Integration

Creating a comprehensive plan to integrate MITRE ATT&CK framework with STRIDE threats:

Analysis Phase

• Analyze current codebase structure and STRIDE implementation
• Review PR Development #32 for existing MITRE ATT&CK work (limited access)
• Examine the provided mapping diagram
• Check repository setup requirements (CLAUDE.md)

Design Phase

• Design STRIDE-to-ATT&CK mapping architecture
• Plan data structures for ATT&CK tactics and techniques
• Design UI/output modifications for ATT&CK integration
• Identify external data sources and dependencies

Implementation Planning

• Create phased implementation roadmap
• Define testing and validation strategy
• Document integration approach and benefits

Technical Considerations

• Evaluate performance impact
• Plan maintainability and extensibility
• Consider data update mechanisms for ATT&CK framework

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Detailed Implementation Plan

Architecture Design

STRIDE-to-ATT&CK Mapping Framework:

STRIDE Category → ATT&CK Tactics → ATT&CK Techniques

Example Mappings:
• Spoofing → Initial Access, Defense Evasion → T1566 Phishing, T1036 Masquerading
• Tampering → Persistence, Defense Evasion → T1547 Boot/Logon Autostart, T1070 Indicator Removal
• Information Disclosure → Collection, Exfiltration → T1005 Data from Local System, T1041 Exfiltration Over C2

Data Structure Design:

{
  "threat_model": [...existing STRIDE threats...],
  "attack_mapping": [
    {
      "stride_threat_id": "threat_1",
      "stride_category": "Spoofing",
      "attack_tactics": ["Initial Access", "Defense Evasion"],
      "attack_techniques": [
        {
          "technique_id": "T1566",
          "technique_name": "Phishing",
          "sub_techniques": ["T1566.001", "T1566.002"],
          "relevance_score": 0.8,
          "scenario": "Attacker uses phishing to impersonate legitimate user"
        }
      ],
      "mitigations": ["M1031", "M1017"],
      "detection_methods": ["DS0015", "DS0022"]
    }
  ],
  "improvement_suggestions": [...existing suggestions...]
}

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Core ATT&CK Integration (Week 1-2)

• Create new attack_mapping.py module
• Define ATT&CK tactics/techniques data structures
• Implement basic STRIDE→ATT&CK mapping logic
• Update threat model prompt to include ATT&CK context

Phase 2: Enhanced Mapping (Week 3-4)

• Implement comprehensive STRIDE-to-ATT&CK mappings
• Add technique relevance scoring
• Include sub-techniques and detection methods
• Create mapping validation logic

Phase 3: UI Integration (Week 5)

• Update main.py to display ATT&CK information
• Add new tab for ATT&CK analysis
• Enhance existing threat model output format
• Add download options for ATT&CK data

Phase 4: Data Integration (Week 6)

• Integrate with MITRE CTI repository or API
• Implement data update mechanisms
• Add caching for performance
• Create offline fallback data

Technical Implementation

New Files to Create:

• attack_mapping.py - Core ATT&CK mapping logic
• attack_data.py - ATT&CK tactics/techniques data
• attack_prompts.py - ATT&CK-specific prompts

Existing Files to Modify:

• main.py - Add ATT&CK tab and integration
• threat_model.py - Enhance with ATT&CK mapping
• requirements.txt - Add MITRE ATT&CK dependencies

Key Functions to Implement:

# attack_mapping.py
def map_stride_to_attack(stride_threats)
def get_relevant_techniques(stride_category, scenario)
def calculate_technique_relevance(technique, threat_context)
def generate_attack_matrix(threat_model)

# attack_data.py  
def load_attack_data()
def get_tactics_for_technique(technique_id)
def get_mitigations_for_technique(technique_id)

Data Sources & Dependencies

External Dependencies:

• MITRE ATT&CK Framework data (JSON format)
• Python packages: requests, json, pandas (optional)
• STIX/TAXII integration (future enhancement)

Performance Considerations:

• Cache ATT&CK data locally to reduce API calls
• Implement lazy loading for technique details
• Use relevance scoring to limit displayed techniques
• Consider memory usage for large ATT&CK datasets

Testing Strategy

Unit Tests:

• STRIDE→ATT&CK mapping accuracy
• Data structure validation
• Relevance scoring algorithms

Integration Tests:

• End-to-end threat model generation with ATT&CK
• UI rendering with ATT&CK data
• Performance testing with large datasets

Validation Approach:

• Compare mappings against known security frameworks
• Expert review of technique relevance
• User feedback collection

Benefits & Value Proposition

Enhanced Threat Intelligence:

• Standardized vocabulary (ATT&CK) for threat communication
• Detailed adversary tactics and techniques
• Links to real-world attack scenarios

Improved Defense Planning:

• Specific detection and mitigation strategies
• Prioritization based on attack likelihood
• Better alignment with security tools and frameworks

Team Education:

• Concrete examples of attack methods
• Industry-standard threat categorization
• Enhanced security awareness

This implementation plan provides a structured approach to integrating MITRE ATT&CK with STRIDE while maintaining the current functionality and adding significant value for threat modeling practitioners.

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