Adversaries may introduce computer accessories, networking hardware, or other computing devices into a system or network that can be used as a vector to gain access. Rather than just connecting and distributing payloads via removable storage (i.e. [Replication Through Removable Media](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1091)), more robust hardware additions can be used to introduce new functionalities and/or features into a system that can then be abused.

While public references of usage by threat actors are scarce, many red teams/penetration testers leverage hardware additions for initial access. Commercial and open source products can be leveraged with capabilities such as passive network tapping, network traffic modification (i.e. [Adversary-in-the-Middle](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1557)), keystroke injection, kernel memory reading via DMA, addition of new wireless access to an existing network, and others.(Citation: Ossmann Star Feb 2011)(Citation: Aleks Weapons Nov 2015)(Citation: Frisk DMA August 2016)(Citation: McMillan Pwn March 2012)
Hardware Additions
source_name: mitre-attack  url: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1200  external_id: T1200     source_name: Ossmann Star Feb 2011  description: Michael Ossmann. (2011, February 17). Throwing Star LAN Tap. Retrieved March 30, 2018.  url: https://ossmann.blogspot.com/2011/02/throwing-star-lan-tap.html     source_name: Aleks Weapons Nov 2015  description: Nick Aleks. (2015, November 7). Weapons of a Pentester - Understanding the virtual & physical tools used by white/black hat hackers. Retrieved March 30, 2018.  url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDvf4ScWbcQ     source_name: McMillan Pwn March 2012  description: Robert McMillan. (2012, March 3). The Pwn Plug is a little white box that can hack your network. Retrieved March 30, 2018.  url: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/03/the-pwn-plug-is-a-little-white-box-that-can-hack-your-network/     source_name: Frisk DMA August 2016  description: Ulf Frisk. (2016, August 5). Direct Memory Attack the Kernel. Retrieved March 30, 2018.  url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXthwl6ShOg     