T1048

Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol

4 CVEs mapped

TA0010Exfiltration

Adversaries may steal data by exfiltrating it over a different protocol than that of the existing command and control channel. The data may also be sent to an alternate network location from the main command and control server. Alternate protocols include FTP, SMTP, HTTP/S, DNS, SMB, or any other network protocol not being used as the main command and control channel. Adversaries may also opt to encrypt and/or obfuscate these alternate channels. [Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1048) can be done using various common operating system utilities such as [Net](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0039)/SMB or FTP.(Citation: Palo Alto OilRig Oct 2016) On macOS and Linux <code>curl</code> may be used to invoke protocols such as HTTP/S or FTP/S to exfiltrate data from a system.(Citation: 20 macOS Common Tools and Techniques) Many IaaS and SaaS platforms (such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, GitHub, and AWS S3) support the direct download of files, emails, source code, and other sensitive information via the web console or [Cloud API](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/009).

Platforms8

ESXiIaaSLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows

CVEs mapped to this technique4

CVE	Description	Severity	EPSS	Flags	Modified
CVE-2025-32433	Erlang/OTP is a set of libraries for the Erlang programming language. Prior to versions OTP-27.3.3, OTP-26.2.5.11, and OTP-25.3.2.20, a SSH server may allow an attacker to perform unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE). By exploiting a flaw in SSH protocol message handling, a malicious actor could gain unauthorized access to affected systems and execute arbitrary commands without valid credentials. This issue is patched in versions OTP-27.3.3, OTP-26.2.5.11, and OTP-25.3.2.20. A temporary workaround involves disabling the SSH server or to prevent access via firewall rules.	CRITICAL10.0	99%p100	KEVWeaponized	2026-06-17
CVE-2024-55591	An Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability [CWE-288] affecting FortiOS version 7.0.0 through 7.0.16 and FortiProxy version 7.0.0 through 7.0.19 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.12 allows a remote attacker to gain super-admin privileges via crafted requests to Node.js websocket module.	CRITICAL9.8	98%p100	KEV+RPoC	2026-07-08
CVE-2025-33073	Improper access control in Windows SMB allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.	HIGH8.8	79%p100	KEVPoC	2026-06-17
CVE-2025-66376	Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) 10 before 10.0.18 and 10.1 before 10.1.13 allows Classic UI stored XSS via Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) @import directives in an HTML e-mail message.	MEDIUM6.1	22%p97	KEV	2026-06-17