Implementing MITRE ATT&CK Coverage Mapping

Overview

MITRE ATT&CK coverage mapping gives SOC teams a structured, adversary-centric lens to evaluate detection capabilities. Enterprise SIEMs on average have detection coverage for only 21% of ATT&CK techniques (2025 CardinalOps report), with 13% of existing rules being non-functional due to misconfigured data sources. Systematic coverage mapping identifies gaps, prioritizes rule development, and tracks detection maturity over time. ATT&CK v18.1 (December 2025) is the latest version.

When to Use

• When deploying or configuring implementing mitre attack coverage mapping capabilities in your environment
• When establishing security controls aligned to compliance requirements
• When building or improving security architecture for this domain
• When conducting security assessments that require this implementation

Prerequisites

• Access to MITRE ATT&CK Navigator (https://mitre-attack.github.io/attack-navigator/)
• Inventory of all active SIEM detection rules
• MITRE ATT&CK technique mapping for each detection rule
• Data source inventory (which log sources are ingested)
• Understanding of adversary threat profiles relevant to your industry

Coverage Mapping Process

Step 1: Export Current Detection Rules

# Splunk ES - Export all active correlation searches with MITRE mappings
| rest /services/saved/searches
| search disabled=0 action.correlationsearch.enabled=1
| table title, search, action.notable.param.security_domain,
    action.notable.param.severity, action.correlationsearch.annotations
| eval mitre_techniques=mvfilter(match('action.correlationsearch.annotations', "mitre_attack"))

// Microsoft Sentinel - Export analytics rules with MITRE mapping
SecurityAlert
| summarize count() by AlertName, ProductName
| join kind=inner (
    resources
    | where type == "microsoft.securityinsights/alertrules"
    | extend tactics = properties.tactics
) on $left.AlertName == $right.name

Step 2: Build the Coverage Matrix

ATT&CK Navigator Layer Format

{
    "name": "SOC Detection Coverage - 2025",
    "versions": {
        "attack": "16",
        "navigator": "5.1",
        "layer": "4.5"
    },
    "domain": "enterprise-attack",
    "description": "Current detection coverage mapping",
    "techniques": [
        {
            "techniqueID": "T1110",
            "tactic": "credential-access",
            "color": "#00ff00",
            "comment": "2 active rules - Brute Force detection via EventCode 4625",
            "score": 75,
            "metadata": [
                {"name": "rule_count", "value": "2"},
                {"name": "data_sources", "value": "Windows Security Log, Linux Auth"},
                {"name": "last_validated", "value": "2025-01-15"}
            ]
        },
        {
            "techniqueID": "T1059.001",
            "tactic": "execution",
            "color": "#00ff00",
            "comment": "3 rules - PowerShell Script Block Logging",
            "score": 85
        },
        {
            "techniqueID": "T1055",
            "tactic": "defense-evasion",
            "color": "#ff0000",
            "comment": "NO DETECTION - Requires Sysmon EventCode 8/10",
            "score": 0
        }
    ],
    "gradient": {
        "colors": ["#ff0000", "#ffff00", "#00ff00"],
        "minValue": 0,
        "maxValue": 100
    }
}

Step 3: Score Each Technique

Scoring Criteria Detail

Score = Data_Source_Score (0-25) + Rule_Quality_Score (0-25) +
        Validation_Score (0-25) + Enrichment_Score (0-25)

Data_Source_Score:
  25: All required data sources ingested and parsed
  15: Primary data source available
  5:  Partial data source coverage
  0:  Required data sources not available

Rule_Quality_Score:
  25: Rule uses CIM-compliant queries with proper thresholds
  15: Rule works but may generate false positives
  5:  Basic rule with no tuning
  0:  No detection rule

Validation_Score:
  25: Validated with adversary emulation (Atomic Red Team)
  15: Tested with synthetic data

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