Sub-technique of T1585 Establish Accounts.View on attack.mitre.org
Adversaries may create and cultivate social media accounts that can be used during targeting. Adversaries can create social media accounts that can be used to build a persona to further operations. Persona development consists of the development of public information, presence, history and appropriate affiliations.
For operations incorporating social engineering, the utilization of a persona on social media may be important. These personas may be fictitious or impersonate real people. The persona may exist on a single social media site or across multiple sites (ex: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). Establishing a persona on social media may require development of additional documentation to make them seem real. This could include filling out profile information, developing social networks, or incorporating photos.
Once a persona has been developed an adversary can use it to create connections to targets of interest. These connections may be direct or may include trying to connect through others. These accounts may be leveraged during other phases of the adversary lifecycle, such as during Initial Access (ex: Spearphishing via Service).
Rules on DetectionCode tagged with T1585.001.
None recorded.
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| GroupAPT32 | APT32 has set up Facebook pages in tandem with fake websites. |
| GroupCleaver | Cleaver has created fake LinkedIn profiles that included profile photos, details, and connections. |
| GroupContagious Interview | Contagious Interview has created fake social media accounts such as LinkedIn and Telegram accounts for their targeting efforts. ESET Contagious Interview BeaverTail InvisibleFerret February 2025PaloAlto Unit42 ContagiousInterview BeaverTail InvisibileFerret October 2024Recorded Future Contagious Inteview BeaverTail InvisibleFerret OtterCookie February 2025SecurityScorecard Contagious Interview FamousChollima October 2024SecurityScorecard Contagious Interview October 2024Zscaler ContagiousInterview BeaverTail InvisibleFerret November 2024 |
| GroupCURIUM | CURIUM has established a network of fictitious social media accounts, including on Facebook and LinkedIn, to establish relationships with victims, often posing as an attractive woman. |
| GroupEXOTIC LILY | EXOTIC LILY has established social media profiles to mimic employees of targeted companies. |
| GroupFox Kitten | Fox Kitten has used a Twitter account to communicate with ransomware victims. |
| GroupHEXANE | HEXANE has established fraudulent LinkedIn accounts impersonating HR department employees to target potential victims with fake job offers. |
| GroupKimsuky | Kimsuky has created social media accounts to monitor news and security trends as well as potential targets. |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| CampaignOperation Dream Job | For Operation Dream Job, Lazarus Group created fake LinkedIn accounts for their targeting efforts. |
| CampaignOperation Ghost | For Operation Ghost, APT29 registered Twitter accounts to host C2 nodes. |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK® (Enterprise). ATT&CK® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
