AN2056: Analytic 2056
Monitor device alarms for program downloads, although not all devices produce such alarms.
Monitor for protocol functions related to program download or modification. Program downloads may be observable in ICS automation protocols and remote management protocols.
Consult asset management systems to understand expected program versions.
Monitor devices configuration logs which may contain alerts that indicate whether a program download has occurred. Devices may maintain application logs that indicate whether a full program download, online edit, or program append function has occurred.
Analyst context for executives and security teams
Analytic 2056 is about validating whether an ICS environment can notice program downloads or modifications to automation devices. For leaders, the business value is not simply “detecting a change”; it is knowing whether unauthorized or unexpected logic changes could be identified quickly enough to protect operational continuity, safety-relevant processes, and incident response decision-making. The ATT&CK source is explicit that not all devices produce alarms, so this analytic should drive a coverage review rather than an assumption that monitoring already exists.
Executive priority
Prioritize this as an operational resilience and audit-evidence question: can the organization prove what control logic is expected, when it changed, and whether the change was authorized? Security and operations leaders should ask whether asset management contains expected program versions, whether device and configuration logs are retained, and whether SOC/IR teams know how to escalate unexpected program download, online edit, or append events. This is especially important where ICS process integrity is tied to production uptime, safety, or regulatory assurance.
Technical view
SOC, detection engineering, and IR teams should validate monitoring around device alarms, ICS automation protocol activity, remote management protocol activity, configuration logs, application logs, and asset-management records for expected program versions. The analytic is not tied to a specific ATT&CK tactic or platform in the supplied object, so implementation must be mapped locally to the actual controllers, engineering workstations, management tools, and protocols in use. Detection logic should distinguish expected maintenance/programming activity from unexpected program download or modification indicators.
Likely telemetry
- Device alarms indicating program downloads or modifications
- ICS automation protocol functions related to program download or modification
- Remote management protocol activity related to program download or modification
- Device configuration logs
- Device application logs showing full program download, online edit, or program append functions
Detection direction
- Confirm which devices generate alarms for program downloads and which do not; treat non-alarming devices as a visibility gap.
- Monitor for protocol functions associated with program download or modification where ICS automation or remote management protocols are observable.
- Correlate observed program change activity with asset management records of expected program versions.
- Review device configuration and application logs for full downloads, online edits, and append functions.
- Tune detections around approved maintenance windows and authorized engineering activity to reduce false positives without suppressing unexpected changes.
Mitigation priorities
- Build and maintain an authoritative inventory of expected device program versions.
- Enable and retain device alarms, configuration logs, and application logs where supported by the device.
- Establish change-control evidence for program downloads, online edits, and program append actions.
- Prioritize visibility improvements for devices that do not produce native program-download alarms.
- Integrate relevant ICS and remote management telemetry into SOC or managed detection workflows where technically feasible.
Analyst notes and limits
This object is an ATT&CK ICS detection analytic, not a technique description. Its value is strongest as a coverage and evidence checklist for detecting changes to automation programs. The supplied relationship context is empty, and no platforms or tactics are specified, so local asset, protocol, and device knowledge is required to operationalize it.
Official detection content is not provided beyond the description, and no relationships, platforms, tactics, aliases, or labels were supplied. The source also notes that not all devices produce program-download alarms. This take therefore cannot assert detection coverage, specific technologies, active exploitation, attribution, or guaranteed observability.
Analytic 2056
Monitor device alarms for program downloads, although not all devices produce such alarms.
Monitor for protocol functions related to program download or modification. Program downloads may be observable in ICS automation protocols and remote management protocols.
Consult asset management systems to understand expected program versions.
Monitor devices configuration logs which may contain alerts that indicate whether a program download has occurred. Devices may maintain application logs that indicate whether a full program download, online edit, or program append function has occurred.
How security teams should use this page
Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.
All related ATT&CK context
No relationships are available in the current normalized data for this object.
Object version and sync metadata
The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates .
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 1.0 | Current bundle | a8041f8aeff6… |
Mirrored ATT&CK source object
The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.
External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
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mitre-attack AN2056Open source URL
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