T1573.002 Asymmetric Cryptography
sub-techniqueEnterpriseAdversaries may employ a known asymmetric encryption algorithm to conceal command and control traffic rather than relying on any inherent protections provided by a communication protocol. Asymmetric cryptography, also known as public key cryptography, uses a keypair per party: one public that can be freely distributed, and one private. Due to how the keys are generated, the sender encrypts data with the receiver’s public key and the receiver decrypts the data with their private key. This ensures that only the intended recipient can read the encrypted data. Common public key encryption algorithms include RSA and ElGamal. For efficiency, many protocols (including SSL/TLS) use symmetric cryptography once a connection is established, but use asymmetric cryptography to establish or transmit a key. As such, these protocols are classified as Asymmetric Cryptography.
platforms
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tactics
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sub-technique of
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mitigations
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detected by (6)
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countered by (D3FEND)
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Detect
Isolate
Deceive
Restore
NIST CSF 2.0 — areas of relevance (Protect / Detect)
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- PR.DSData Securitystrong · backed by 6 of 11 mapped controls
- DE.CMContinuous Monitoringmoderate · backed by 5 of 11 mapped controls
- PR.PSPlatform Securitymoderate · backed by 3 of 11 mapped controls
Derived from MITRE CTID (Apache-2.0) and the NIST 800-53 ↔ CSF crosswalk (public domain). Indicative relevance along the Protect/Detect axis — not a compliance assessment or coverage claim.
mitigating controls (11)
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groups (12)
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software (82)
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campaigns (5)
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