Adversaries may insert, delete, or alter data in order to manipulate external outcomes or hide activity. By manipulating data, adversaries may attempt to affect a business process, organizational understanding, or decision making.
The type of modification and the impact it will have depends on the target application, process, and 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, typically gained through a prolonged information gathering campaign, in order to have the desired impact.
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1006 | Use Recent OS Version |
Recent OS versions have limited access to certain APIs unless certain conditions are met, making Data Manipulation more difficult |
| ID | Name | Analytic ID | Analytic Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DET0660 | Detection of Data Manipulation | AN1750 |
For Android, detect Data Manipulation from documented management, network, or vetting evidence; treat state queries as periodic observations rather than real-time events. Correlate API Calls via Application Vetting / Instrumented Dynamic Analysis [Dynamic API/runtime trace: ContentResolver.update() called by writer_app NOT IN $LegitimateIPCPartners$ for target_app's content provider URI]; Application State via Android Enterprise / EMM [Managed package inventory/status and package metadata]; File Modification via Application Vetting / Forensic Acquisition [Dynamic filesystem trace or acquired app-container/filesystem artifacts: ContentResolver.update() or write() to path owned by target_app IN $HighValueAppList$ by writer_app != target_app — cross-app data modification]. Alert on a sequence or state change inconsistent with the device/app baseline, approved management policy, or expected user workflow; do not infer unobserved API calls, file/process activity, or payload content from management state alone. |