Data from Local System

Adversaries may target and collect data from local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, or local databases. This can include sensitive data such as specifications, schematics, or diagrams of control system layouts, devices, and processes.

Adversaries may do this using Command-Line Interface or Scripting techniques to interact with the file system to gather information. Adversaries may also use Automated Collection on the local system.

ID: T0893
Sub-techniques:  No sub-techniques
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Tactic: Collection
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Platforms: Embedded, Linux, Network Devices, Windows
Version: 1.0
Created: 30 March 2023
Last Modified: 13 October 2026

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
S1000 ACAD/Medre.A

ACAD/Medre.A collects information related to the AutoCAD application. The worm collects AutoCAD (*.dwg) files with drawings from infected systems. [1]

S0038 Duqu

Duqu downloads additional modules for the collection of data from local systems. The modules are named: infostealer 1, infostealer 2 and reconnaissance.[2]

S0143 Flame

Flame has built-in modules to gather information from compromised computers. [3]

Targeted Assets

ID Asset
A0008 Application Server
A0007 Control Server
A0006 Data Historian
A0016 Firewall
A0002 Human-Machine Interface (HMI)
A0012 Jump Host
A0015 Switch
A0001 Workstation

Mitigations

ID Mitigation Description
M0803 Data Loss Prevention

Data loss prevention can restrict access to sensitive data and detect sensitive data that is unencrypted.

M0941 Encrypt Sensitive Information

Information which is sensitive to the operation and architecture of the process environment may be encrypted to ensure confidentiality and restrict access to only those who need to know. [4] [5]

M0922 Restrict File and Directory Permissions

Protect files stored locally with proper permissions to limit opportunities for adversaries to interact and collect information from the local system. [4] [5]

M0917 User Training

Develop and publish policies that define acceptable information to be stored on local systems.

Detection Strategy

ID Name Analytic ID Analytic Description
DET0749 Detection of Data from Local System AN1881

Monitor Windows Security Event ID 4663 on explicitly audited ICS data paths and correlate repeated ReadData/ListDirectory access across multiple sensitive files or directories by an account/process outside the approved engineering, backup, or application baseline. This requires Object Access auditing and SACLs on the monitored paths; Sysmon does not provide generic file-read telemetry. Alert when the bulk-read pattern occurs outside an approved backup/export window or is followed by staging, compression, or network transfer.

AN2137

Real-time monitoring identifies a Linux process performing sequential reads across multiple ICS configuration or data paths by a UID outside approved backup, engineering, or vendor-application accounts. OT operational-fidelity gate: Do not alert on novelty, scan/read volume, or enumeration alone. Alert when the source role is not authorized for discovery/polling and the target scope, address/tag range, protocol, or rate deviates from the established operational baseline. Suppress normal SCADA/HMI/historian polling, commissioning, asset inventory, backup, diagnostics, and approved engineering activity.

AN2174

Real-time monitoring identifies large outbound data transfers from Industrial Control System (ICS) server Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to destinations outside the approved ICS zone, following a pattern of bulk reads from engineering document stores or historian databases. OT operational-fidelity gate: Do not alert on novelty, scan/read volume, or enumeration alone. Alert when the source role is not authorized for discovery/polling and the target scope, address/tag range, protocol, or rate deviates from the established operational baseline. Suppress normal SCADA/HMI/historian polling, commissioning, asset inventory, backup, diagnostics, and approved engineering activity.

AN2244

Real-time monitoring identifies Industrial Control System (ICS) protocol sessions that bulk-read configuration data, program blocks, or data record objects from field devices -- function code sequences retrieving entire data dictionaries rather than operational process values -- from a source with no prior history of configuration-read sessions. OT operational-fidelity gate: Do not alert on novelty, scan/read volume, or enumeration alone. Alert when the source role is not authorized for discovery/polling and the target scope, address/tag range, protocol, or rate deviates from the established operational baseline. Suppress normal SCADA/HMI/historian polling, commissioning, asset inventory, backup, diagnostics, and approved engineering activity.

References