H3XAOperational intelligence
Live analytical pictureEvidence before assessment
TypeTechnique
External ID—
First seen2026-08-14
Last seen2026-08-14

Confidence

—

An adversary may deface systems external to an organization in an attempt to deliver messaging, intimidate, or otherwise mislead an organization or users. [External Defacement](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1491/002) may ultimately cause users to distrust the systems and to question/discredit the system’s integrity. Externally-facing websites are a common victim of defacement; often targeted by adversary and hacktivist groups in order to push a political message or spread propaganda.(Citation: FireEye Cyber Threats to Media Industries)(Citation: Kevin Mandia Statement to US Senate Committee on Intelligence)(Citation: Anonymous Hackers Deface Russian Govt Site) [External Defacement](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1491/002) may be used as a catalyst to trigger events, or as a response to actions taken by an organization or government. Similarly, website defacement may also be used as setup, or a precursor, for future attacks such as [Drive-by Compromise](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1189).(Citation: Trend Micro Deep Dive Into Defacement)

4 recorded

Relationships

mitigatesMitigation
subtechnique-ofTechnique
usesGroup
usesGroup
5 external

References

mitre-attack
T1491.002
open
Anonymous Hackers Deface Russian Govt Site
https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-hackers-deface-russian-govt-site-to-protest-web-blocking-nsfw-180512/
open
FireEye Cyber Threats to Media Industries
https://web.archive.org/web/20210719110553/https://www.fireeye.com/content/dam/fireeye-www/current-threats/pdfs/ib-entertainment.pdf
open
Kevin Mandia Statement to US Senate Committee on Intelligence
https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/os-kmandia-033017.pdf
open
Trend Micro Deep Dive Into Defacement
https://documents.trendmicro.com/assets/white_papers/wp-a-deep-dive-into-defacement.pdf
open