The Diamond Model of Intrusion Analysis is a framework used in cybersecurity to analyze and understand cyber threats and intrusions. It provides a structured approach for examining the relationships between the key elements of a cyber attack, including the adversary, capability, infrastructure, and victim. The model is called the “Diamond Model” because it represents these elements as four points of a diamond shape.
- Adversary: The first point of the diamond represents the adversary or the threat actor behind the intrusion. It involves understanding the motivations, intentions, and objectives of the attacker. This includes identifying the type of attacker, such as a nation-state, organized crime group, hacktivist, or insider threat. Analyzing the adversary helps in determining the potential risks and the level of sophistication involved in the attack.
Example: Suppose a financial institution experiences a data breach. The adversary in this case could be an organized crime group aiming to steal financial information for monetary gain.
- Capability: The second point of the diamond represents the capabilities of the adversary. It involves assessing the tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by the attacker. This includes understanding the methods of attack, malware used, vulnerabilities exploited, and the level of technical expertise exhibited by the adversary.
Example: In the previous example, the organized crime group might deploy sophisticated malware and employ advanced social engineering techniques to gain access to the financial institution’s network.
- Infrastructure: The third point of the diamond represents the infrastructure used by the adversary to carry out the attack. It involves identifying the network infrastructure, command and control servers, compromised systems, and other resources utilized by the attacker. Analyzing the infrastructure helps in understanding the scale and scope of the attack and identifying potential indicators of compromise.
Example: Continuing with the previous example, the organized crime group may have a network of compromised computers spread across multiple countries, acting as command and control servers for their malicious activities.
- Victim: The fourth point of the diamond represents the victim or the target of the attack. It involves understanding the impact on the victim, the assets compromised, and the consequences of the intrusion. This includes identifying the vulnerabilities exploited, the data compromised, and the potential damage caused to the victim’s systems, reputation, and business operations.
Example: In the case of the financial institution, the victim is the organization itself, which suffers financial losses, reputational damage, and potential legal implications due to the data breach.
The center of the diamond represents the interactions and relationships between these four points. By analyzing and understanding each of these elements, security analysts can gain a comprehensive view of the cyber threat landscape, enabling them to develop effective defensive strategies and countermeasures.
It’s important to note that the Diamond Model is an analytical framework and not a specific methodology. It provides a structure for organizing and analyzing information related to an intrusion, facilitating better incident response, threat intelligence, and decision-making.
