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)
External Defacement
source_name: mitre-attack  url: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1491/002  external_id: T1491.002     source_name: FireEye Cyber Threats to Media Industries  description: FireEye. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2019.  url: https://www.fireeye.com/content/dam/fireeye-www/current-threats/pdfs/ib-entertainment.pdf     source_name: Kevin Mandia Statement to US Senate Committee on Intelligence  description: Kevin Mandia. (2017, March 30). Prepared Statement of Kevin Mandia, CEO of FireEye, Inc. before the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Retrieved April 19, 2019.  url: https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/os-kmandia-033017.pdf     source_name: Anonymous Hackers Deface Russian Govt Site  description: Andy. (2018, May 12). ‘Anonymous’ Hackers Deface Russian Govt. Site to Protest Web-Blocking (NSFW). Retrieved April 19, 2019.  url: https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-hackers-deface-russian-govt-site-to-protest-web-blocking-nsfw-180512/     source_name: Trend Micro Deep Dive Into Defacement  description: Marco Balduzzi, Ryan Flores, Lion Gu, Federico Maggi, Vincenzo Ciancaglini, Roel Reyes, Akira Urano. (n.d.). A Deep Dive into Defacement: How Geopolitical Events Trigger Web Attacks. Retrieved April 19, 2019.  url: https://documents.trendmicro.com/assets/white_papers/wp-a-deep-dive-into-defacement.pdf     