Impact

Impact encompasses the final stage of an attack where adversaries execute actions that directly affect an organization's operations, data integrity, or system availability. This tactic represents the culmination of an intrusion, where threat actors leverage their established access and privileges to inflict damage, disrupt services, or achieve their ultimate objectives. Techniques within this tactic can range from data destruction and encryption for ransom to resource hijacking and system/data manipulation. The severity of impact can vary dramatically, from temporary inconvenience to catastrophic business failure, depending on the attacker's capabilities, intentions, and the targeted assets' criticality. Understanding and defending against Impact techniques is crucial for organizations to minimize potential losses, maintain business continuity, and protect their reputation in the event of a successful attack.