Skip to content

Class: Tactic

Tactics represent the adversary's high-level strategic objectives during an attack — the "why" behind individual techniques. Tactics form the columns of the ATT&CK matrix and organize techniques into coherent operational categories.

Tactics are implemented as x-mitre-tactic custom STIX objects that extend the STIX Domain Object pattern. They are specific to ATT&CK and not defined by the core STIX 2.1 specification.

The x_mitre_shortname property is the machine-readable tactic identifier used to link techniques: a technique's kill_chain_phases entry uses x_mitre_shortname as phase_name when kill_chain_name matches the appropriate ATT&CK domain value.

URI: attack:Tactic

 classDiagram
    class Tactic
    click Tactic href "../Tactic/"
      AttackObject <|-- Tactic
        click AttackObject href "../AttackObject/"

      Tactic : confidence

      Tactic : created

      Tactic : created_by_ref

      Tactic : description

      Tactic : extensions

      Tactic : external_references





        Tactic --> "1..*" ExternalReference : external_references
        click ExternalReference href "../ExternalReference/"



      Tactic : granular_markings





        Tactic --> "*" GranularMarking : granular_markings
        click GranularMarking href "../GranularMarking/"



      Tactic : id

      Tactic : labels

      Tactic : lang

      Tactic : modified

      Tactic : name

      Tactic : object_marking_refs

      Tactic : revoked

      Tactic : spec_version





        Tactic --> "1" SpecVersionEnum : spec_version
        click SpecVersionEnum href "../SpecVersionEnum/"



      Tactic : type

      Tactic : x_mitre_attack_spec_version

      Tactic : x_mitre_contributors

      Tactic : x_mitre_deprecated

      Tactic : x_mitre_domains





        Tactic --> "1..*" AttackDomainEnum : x_mitre_domains
        click AttackDomainEnum href "../AttackDomainEnum/"



      Tactic : x_mitre_modified_by_ref

      Tactic : x_mitre_old_attack_id

      Tactic : x_mitre_shortname





        Tactic --> "1" AttackTacticShortNameEnum : x_mitre_shortname
        click AttackTacticShortNameEnum href "../AttackTacticShortNameEnum/"



      Tactic : x_mitre_version

Inheritance

Slots

Name Cardinality and Range Description Inheritance
x_mitre_domains 1..*
AttackDomainEnum		 The ATT&CK technology domains to which this object belongs direct
x_mitre_shortname 1
AttackTacticShortNameEnum		 The machine-readable short identifier for an ATT&CK tactic direct
x_mitre_modified_by_ref 1
StixIdentifier		 The STIX ID of the identity object that created the current version of this o... direct
x_mitre_contributors *
String		 Names of people and organizations who have contributed to the creation or enr... direct
x_mitre_attack_spec_version 1
SemverString		 The version of the ATT&CK Data Model specification used to construct this obj... AttackObject
x_mitre_version 1
AttackVersionString		 The version of this ATT&CK object content in 'major AttackObject
x_mitre_deprecated 0..1
Boolean		 Boolean flag indicating that this ATT&CK object has been deprecated and shoul... AttackObject
x_mitre_old_attack_id 0..1
String		 A legacy ATT&CK ID previously assigned to this object before a knowledge base... AttackObject
type 1
StixTypeName		 STIX object type Core, StixEntity
spec_version 1
SpecVersionEnum		 STIX specification version Core
id 1
StixIdentifier		 STIX object identifier Core, StixEntity
created 1
Datetime		 Creation timestamp Core
modified 1
Datetime		 Modification timestamp Core
created_by_ref 1
StixIdentifier		 The STIX ID of the identity object that first created this ATT&CK object Core
labels *
String		 Terms used to describe this object Core
revoked 0..1
Boolean		 Indicates whether this object has been revoked Core
confidence 0..1
Integer		 Confidence that the producer has in this data Core
lang 0..1
String		 Language of textual properties Core
external_references 1..*
ExternalReference		 External references Core
object_marking_refs 1..*
StixIdentifier		 Marking definition references applied to this object Core
granular_markings *
GranularMarking		 Granular markings that apply to selected content Core
extensions *
String		 Open-ended extension payloads Core
name 1
String		 The human-readable name of the tactic (e StixEntity
description 1
String		 A full description of the tactic's strategic objective and what adversaries a... StixEntity

In Subsets

Identifier and Mapping Information

Annotations

property value
stix_type x-mitre-tactic
attack_id_format TA####

Schema Source

  • from schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack

Mappings

Mapping Type Mapped Value
self attack:Tactic
native attack:Tactic

LinkML Source

Direct

name: Tactic
annotations:
  stix_type:
    tag: stix_type
    value: x-mitre-tactic
  attack_id_format:
    tag: attack_id_format
    value: TA####
description: 'Tactics represent the adversary''s high-level strategic objectives during
  an attack — the "why" behind individual techniques. Tactics form the columns of
  the ATT&CK matrix and organize techniques into coherent operational categories.

  Tactics are implemented as x-mitre-tactic custom STIX objects that extend the STIX
  Domain Object pattern. They are specific to ATT&CK and not defined by the core STIX
  2.1 specification.

  The x_mitre_shortname property is the machine-readable tactic identifier used to
  link techniques: a technique''s kill_chain_phases entry uses x_mitre_shortname as
  phase_name when kill_chain_name matches the appropriate ATT&CK domain value.'
in_subset:
- attack_sdos
from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
is_a: AttackObject
slots:
- x_mitre_domains
- x_mitre_shortname
- x_mitre_modified_by_ref
- x_mitre_contributors
slot_usage:
  type:
    name: type
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic$
  id:
    name: id
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic--
  name:
    name: name
    description: The human-readable name of the tactic (e.g., 'Initial Access', 'Execution',
      'Persistence').
    required: true
  description:
    name: description
    description: A full description of the tactic's strategic objective and what adversaries
      are trying to accomplish by executing techniques in this category.
    required: true
  external_references:
    name: external_references
    description: External references. The first entry MUST have source_name 'mitre-attack'
      and contain the tactic's ATT&CK ID as external_id (e.g., 'TA0001').
    comments:
    - 'validator_hint: first-ref-must-be-mitre-attack-tactic-id jsonschema_minItems:
      "1"'
    required: true
  created_by_ref:
    name: created_by_ref
    required: true
  object_marking_refs:
    name: object_marking_refs
    required: true
  x_mitre_domains:
    name: x_mitre_domains
    required: true
  x_mitre_shortname:
    name: x_mitre_shortname
    required: true
  x_mitre_modified_by_ref:
    name: x_mitre_modified_by_ref
    required: true

Induced

name: Tactic
annotations:
  stix_type:
    tag: stix_type
    value: x-mitre-tactic
  attack_id_format:
    tag: attack_id_format
    value: TA####
description: 'Tactics represent the adversary''s high-level strategic objectives during
  an attack — the "why" behind individual techniques. Tactics form the columns of
  the ATT&CK matrix and organize techniques into coherent operational categories.

  Tactics are implemented as x-mitre-tactic custom STIX objects that extend the STIX
  Domain Object pattern. They are specific to ATT&CK and not defined by the core STIX
  2.1 specification.

  The x_mitre_shortname property is the machine-readable tactic identifier used to
  link techniques: a technique''s kill_chain_phases entry uses x_mitre_shortname as
  phase_name when kill_chain_name matches the appropriate ATT&CK domain value.'
in_subset:
- attack_sdos
from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
is_a: AttackObject
slot_usage:
  type:
    name: type
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic$
  id:
    name: id
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic--
  name:
    name: name
    description: The human-readable name of the tactic (e.g., 'Initial Access', 'Execution',
      'Persistence').
    required: true
  description:
    name: description
    description: A full description of the tactic's strategic objective and what adversaries
      are trying to accomplish by executing techniques in this category.
    required: true
  external_references:
    name: external_references
    description: External references. The first entry MUST have source_name 'mitre-attack'
      and contain the tactic's ATT&CK ID as external_id (e.g., 'TA0001').
    comments:
    - 'validator_hint: first-ref-must-be-mitre-attack-tactic-id jsonschema_minItems:
      "1"'
    required: true
  created_by_ref:
    name: created_by_ref
    required: true
  object_marking_refs:
    name: object_marking_refs
    required: true
  x_mitre_domains:
    name: x_mitre_domains
    required: true
  x_mitre_shortname:
    name: x_mitre_shortname
    required: true
  x_mitre_modified_by_ref:
    name: x_mitre_modified_by_ref
    required: true
attributes:
  x_mitre_domains:
    name: x_mitre_domains
    description: The ATT&CK technology domains to which this object belongs. At least
      one domain must be specified. An object may belong to multiple domains when
      the same technique, group, or software is relevant across domain boundaries.
    comments:
    - 'jsonschema_minItems: "1"'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_domains
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Technique
    - Tactic
    - Group
    - AttackCampaign
    - Mitigation
    - AttackMalware
    - AttackTool
    - Asset
    - DataSource
    - DataComponent
    - Matrix
    - DetectionStrategy
    - Analytic
    range: AttackDomainEnum
    required: true
    multivalued: true
  x_mitre_shortname:
    name: x_mitre_shortname
    description: 'The machine-readable short identifier for an ATT&CK tactic. Used
      to map techniques to their associated tactic: a technique''s kill_chain_phases
      entry uses this value as its phase_name when the kill_chain_name matches the
      tactic''s domain. For example, the ''Initial Access'' tactic has x_mitre_shortname
      ''initial-access''. Must be unique across all tactics within a domain.'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_shortname
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Tactic
    range: AttackTacticShortNameEnum
    required: true
  x_mitre_modified_by_ref:
    name: x_mitre_modified_by_ref
    description: 'The STIX ID of the identity object that created the current version
      of this object. In practice, always references MITRE''s canonical identity object:
      identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5. May differ from created_by_ref
      if the object was originally created by a third party and subsequently adopted
      or updated by MITRE.'
    comments:
    - 'validator_hint: must-match-mitre-identity-id'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    - attack_sros
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_modified_by_ref
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Technique
    - Tactic
    - Group
    - AttackCampaign
    - Mitigation
    - AttackMalware
    - AttackTool
    - Asset
    - DataSource
    - DataComponent
    - Matrix
    - Collection
    - DetectionStrategy
    - Analytic
    - AttackRelationship
    range: stix_identifier
    required: true
    pattern: ^identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5$
  x_mitre_contributors:
    name: x_mitre_contributors
    description: Names of people and organizations who have contributed to the creation
      or enrichment of this ATT&CK object. Contributors are credited for providing
      information, examples, or analysis that informed the object's content. Not present
      on relationship objects.
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_contributors
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Technique
    - Tactic
    - Group
    - AttackCampaign
    - Mitigation
    - AttackMalware
    - AttackTool
    - Asset
    - DataSource
    - DetectionStrategy
    range: string
    multivalued: true
  x_mitre_attack_spec_version:
    name: x_mitre_attack_spec_version
    description: The version of the ATT&CK Data Model specification used to construct
      this object, in MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (semantic versioning) format. Helps consuming
      software determine whether the data format is supported. Objects lacking this
      property are assumed to conform to ATT&CK spec version 2.0.0. Refer to the ATT&CK
      CHANGELOG for all supported versions.
    comments:
    - 'absent_on: marking-definition, identity (x_mitre_version absent), relationship
      (x_mitre_version absent)'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    - attack_sros
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_attack_spec_version
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - AttackObject
    range: semver_string
    required: true
  x_mitre_version:
    name: x_mitre_version
    description: 'The version of this ATT&CK object content in ''major.minor'' format,
      where both components are integers between 0 and 99. Incremented by ATT&CK whenever
      the substantive content of the object changes. Does not apply to relationship
      objects. Example: "1.0", "12.5".'
    comments:
    - 'absent_on: relationship, marking-definition'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_version
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - AttackObject
    range: attack_version_string
    required: true
  x_mitre_deprecated:
    name: x_mitre_deprecated
    description: Boolean flag indicating that this ATT&CK object has been deprecated
      and should no longer be used in new analyses or tooling implementations. Deprecated
      objects are retained in the knowledge base for historical reference and legacy
      compatibility, but are not actively maintained with new information.
    comments:
    - 'absent_on: marking-definition'
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    - attack_sros
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_deprecated
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - AttackObject
    range: boolean
  x_mitre_old_attack_id:
    name: x_mitre_old_attack_id
    description: A legacy ATT&CK ID previously assigned to this object before a knowledge
      base restructuring or domain migration event. Format mirrors the current ATT&CK
      ID format but from the prior numbering scheme (e.g., "MOB-T1001" for a mobile
      technique previously in the pre-unification Mobile ATT&CK dataset).
    in_subset:
    - attack_sdos
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: x_mitre_old_attack_id
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - AttackObject
    range: string
  type:
    name: type
    description: STIX object type.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    related_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:state
    rank: 1000
    alias: type
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - StixEntity
    - Bundle
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - ExtensionDefinition
    - LanguageContent
    - MarkingDefinition
    - File
    range: stix_type_name
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic$
  spec_version:
    name: spec_version
    description: STIX specification version.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:specVersion
    rank: 1000
    alias: spec_version
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: SpecVersionEnum
    required: true
  id:
    name: id
    description: STIX object identifier.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    related_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:externalReference
    rank: 1000
    alias: id
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - StixEntity
    - Bundle
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - ExtensionDefinition
    - LanguageContent
    - MarkingDefinition
    - File
    range: stix_identifier
    required: true
    pattern: ^x-mitre-tactic--
  created:
    name: created
    description: Creation timestamp.
    notes:
    - STIX core timestamps require millisecond precision.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:objectCreatedTime
    rank: 1000
    alias: created
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: datetime
    required: true
    pattern: T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3,}Z$
  modified:
    name: modified
    description: Modification timestamp.
    notes:
    - STIX core timestamps require millisecond precision.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:modifiedTime
    rank: 1000
    alias: modified
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    range: datetime
    required: true
    pattern: T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3,}Z$
  created_by_ref:
    name: created_by_ref
    description: The STIX ID of the identity object that first created this ATT&CK
      object. Typically references MITRE's identity (identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5).
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:createdBy
    rank: 1000
    alias: created_by_ref
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: stix_identifier
    required: true
  labels:
    name: labels
    description: Terms used to describe this object.
    comments:
    - 'jsonschema_minItems: "1"'
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:tag
    rank: 1000
    alias: labels
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    range: string
    multivalued: true
  revoked:
    name: revoked
    description: Indicates whether this object has been revoked.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: revoked
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    range: boolean
  confidence:
    name: confidence
    description: Confidence that the producer has in this data.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: confidence
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    range: integer
    minimum_value: 0
    maximum_value: 100
  lang:
    name: lang
    description: Language of textual properties.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    rank: 1000
    alias: lang
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - GranularMarking
    range: string
  external_references:
    name: external_references
    description: External references. The first entry MUST have source_name 'mitre-attack'
      and contain the tactic's ATT&CK ID as external_id (e.g., 'TA0001').
    comments:
    - 'validator_hint: first-ref-must-be-mitre-attack-tactic-id jsonschema_minItems:
      "1"'
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:externalReference
    rank: 1000
    alias: external_references
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: ExternalReference
    required: true
    multivalued: true
  object_marking_refs:
    name: object_marking_refs
    description: Marking definition references applied to this object.
    comments:
    - 'jsonschema_minItems: "1"'
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:objectMarking
    rank: 1000
    alias: object_marking_refs
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: stix_identifier
    required: true
    multivalued: true
  granular_markings:
    name: granular_markings
    description: Granular markings that apply to selected content.
    comments:
    - 'jsonschema_minItems: "1"'
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    narrow_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:objectMarking
    rank: 1000
    alias: granular_markings
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - MarkingDefinition
    range: GranularMarking
    multivalued: true
  extensions:
    name: extensions
    description: Open-ended extension payloads.
    notes:
    - JSON Schema uses patternProperties for extension keys; exact key validation
      is delegated to validator tooling.
    comments:
    - 'jsonschema_rule: patternProperties validator_hint: validate-extension-keys-and-values'
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    related_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:hasFacet
    rank: 1000
    alias: extensions
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - Core
    - CyberObservableCore
    - MarkingDefinition
    - File
    range: string
    multivalued: true
  name:
    name: name
    description: The human-readable name of the tactic (e.g., 'Initial Access', 'Execution',
      'Persistence').
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    exact_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:name
    rank: 1000
    alias: name
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - RelatedAsset
    - StixEntity
    - ExtensionDefinition
    - MarkingDefinition
    - AutonomousSystem
    - File
    range: string
    required: true
  description:
    name: description
    description: A full description of the tactic's strategic objective and what adversaries
      are trying to accomplish by executing techniques in this category.
    from_schema: https://w3id.org/lmodel/attack
    close_mappings:
    - unified_cyber_ontology:description
    rank: 1000
    alias: description
    owner: Tactic
    domain_of:
    - RelatedAsset
    - MutableElement
    - StixEntity
    - ExtensionDefinition
    - ExternalReference
    range: string
    required: true