When the attack patterns align, recent cybersecurity breaches and supply chain risks reveal how attackers reuse tactics like credential theft and exfiltration.
- Mirai Systems
- Sep 11, 2025
- 2 min read
If attackers are re-using the same paths, what they’re building is less chaos and more calculus.
What We Saw: Cybersecurity Breaches and Supply Chain Risks
In just the past week:
Compromises through supply chains, stolen credentials / tokens, vendor integrations, workflow abuse.
Impact ranged from data theft to system downtime, ransomware, rebuilt trust.
The Real Threat Isn’t the Entry — It’s What Happens After
Much like breaches at Zscaler, Cloudflare, Palo Alto Networks, the recent incidents expose a deeply troubling pattern:
Initial Access isn’t door-kicking anymore. It’s a whisper: a malicious vendor library, a compromised GitHub token, a weak third-party OAuth app.
Credential Theft/Token Abuse is the hygiene failure. Secrets leak, tokens mis-granted, permissions too broad.
Exfiltration + Silent Movement inside the system: data quietly leaving, attackers moving laterally under the radar.
Impact: not always instantly visible. Disruption often precedes disclosure. Then comes extortion, reputation loss, regulatory fallout
Mapping Behavior to MITRE ATT&CK
Here are the tactics attackers leaned on, repeatedly:
Tactic | Examples Across Breaches |
Initial Access | Supply chain compromise (Wealthsimple), valid account takeovers (GitHub), phishing or stolen credentials. |
Credential Access | Token theft, stealing secrets, abusing OAuth connections (Workiva, GitHub workflows). |
Persistence & Privilege Escalation | Gaining elevated access via misconfigurations or over-privileged third-party apps. |
Exfiltration | Data moving over web services, C2 channels. Often unnoticed until signs of damage. |
Later Impact | Ransomware, extortion, business disruption, manufacturing shutdowns. |
These map cleanly to MITRE techniques: T1078 (Valid Accounts), T1195 (Supply Chain Compromise), T1528 (Steal Application Access Token), T1567 (Exfiltration Over Web Service), T1041 (Exfiltration Over C2), etc.
The Vocabulary You Need: ABBI Phase™ + unGUARDED SPACE™
Mirai’s “ABBI Phase™” (After Breach, Before Impact) and “unGUARDED SPACE™”:
ABBI Phase™: the quiet window after initial access and before an obvious breach. It’s where damage is planned, credentials stolen, the exit path prepared.
unGUARDED SPACE™: every API, token, vendor integration, workflow, credential store that isn’t locked down or well-monitored. Those gaps are the paths attackers repeatedly choose.
What Needs to Change, Fast
Old Focus | New Focus |
Secure Perimeter / Firewalls alone | Proactive prevention + ABBI Phase detection + real-time containment + microseg + chambering |
Network perimeter - only edge defenses | “Inside offense”: control vendor integrations, validate SaaS apps, limit trust relationships |
Periodic audits | Continuous monitoring of credentials, token usage, new integrations, anomalous workflows |
Single-incident response | Preparedness for long dwell times: early detection in the ABBI Phase™, ability to contain swiftly |
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Because the number of vendors, integrations, and third-party dependencies grows every day. Because attackers know the tools you use. Because every repetitive pattern they exploit is a clue, and a chance to build your Proactive Prevention, Real-Time Containment, Uninterrupted Resilience.
👉 Learn how Mirai’s MTIL (Metal) Layer Framework collapses attacker dwell time, contains threats, and expands your window to respond. It creates new Time Chronospheres, checkpoints in time where attackers lose ground and defenders gain control.
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