tfMITRE ATT&CK sub-technique

Traffic Duplication T1020.001

sub-technique of T1020 Automated Exfiltration

Tactic: Exfiltration
Platforms: Network Devices, IaaS
Version: 1.4
Created: 19 October 2020
Last modified: 24 October 2025

Adversaries may leverage traffic mirroring in order to automate data exfiltration over compromised infrastructure. Traffic mirroring is a native feature for some devices, often used for network analysis. For example, devices may be configured to forward network traffic to one or more destinations for analysis by a network analyzer or other monitoring device. [1][2]

ReconResource DevInitial AccessExecutionPersistencePriv EscStealthDef ImpairmentCred AccessDiscoveryLateral MoveCollectionC2ExfiltrationImpact

Threat groupsNone recorded

Threat groupsNone recorded · 29% of ATT&CK techniques have none either.

CampaignsNone recorded

CampaignsNone recorded · 54% of ATT&CK techniques have none either.

Tools & malwareNone recorded

Tools & malwareNone recorded · 29% of ATT&CK techniques have none either.

Detection rules42nd pct

Detection rules42nd percentile · 58% of ATT&CK techniques have more detection rules written.

Offense vs defense T1020.001

Is defensive coverage keeping up with adversary use? Eight counts, each ranked against all 697 ATT&CK techniques. Attack sits left, defense right, so a shape leaning left means adversaries are better documented here than defenders are equipped. Hover any spoke for its percentile and the share of techniques that have more. The timeline below shows when each side arrived.

How it got here

Range

Adversary activity (campaign spans) over cumulative rule output. Each source is plotted independently from zero, so neither line includes the other. Campaign dates are year-granularity.

Campaigns · 0Sigma rules (cumulative) · 0Splunk ESCU (cumulative) · 1

first rule: 2020 Q4

Traffic Duplication detection strategy DET0403

MITRE names one behaviour worth catching for this technique and breaks it into 2 analytics, one per platform. Each carries the log sources it needs and the fields you tune per environment.

Detection Strategy for Traffic Duplication via Mirroring in IaaS and Network Devices

Enterprise

2 platforms

AN1131 · IaaS

Configuration changes to virtual TAP/mirror policies that forward traffic to unapproved destinations. Detection correlates management plane API calls with mirrored traffic observation.

Log sources

The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.

Data component	Name	Channel
Network Traffic FlowDC0078	AWS:CloudTrail	CreateTrafficMirrorSession or ModifyTrafficMirrorTarget
Network Connection CreationDC0082	AWS:VPCFlowLogs	Traffic observed on mirror destination instance

Tunable fields

MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.

Field	What you tune
TimeWindow	Detect mirror session creation followed by mirrored traffic within X seconds (e.g., 60s)
MirrorDestinationCIDR	Define suspicious or external mirror targets (e.g., non-enterprise ranges)
UserIdentity	Flag traffic mirror activity by non-privileged or unexpected IAM roles

AN1132 · Network Devices

Unauthorized mirroring sessions initiated on routers/switches (e.g., via monitor session, mirror port) coupled with outbound traffic from mirrored interface to unexpected destinations.

Log sources

The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.

Data component	Name	Channel
Network Traffic FlowDC0078	networkdevice:syslog	Config change: CLI/NETCONF/SNMP – 'monitor session', 'mirror port'
Network Connection CreationDC0082	networkdevice:Flow	Traffic from mirrored interface to mirror target IP

Tunable fields

MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.

Field	What you tune
ConfigChangeType	Tune based on accepted interface config changes (e.g., audit only mirror session creation)
MirrorDestinationPort	Define high-risk ports used for exfil (e.g., 4443, 8443, 2055)
DeviceRole	Define whether mirroring is expected on edge vs core vs distribution devices

Traffic Duplication detections T1020.001

1 rule is mapped to this technique. Parent techniques also include their sub-techniques’ rules. Click a slice or key entry to filter the table.

42nd pctamong all ATT&CK techniques for number of rules

Product

Severity

Library

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