Adversaries may gain access and continuously communicate with victims by injecting malicious content into systems through online network traffic. Rather than luring victims to malicious payloads hosted on a compromised website (i.e., [Drive-by Target](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1608/004) followed by [Drive-by Compromise](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1189)), adversaries may initially access victims through compromised data-transfer channels where they can manipulate traffic and/or inject their own content. These compromised online network channels may also be used to deliver additional payloads (i.e., [Ingress Tool Transfer](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1105)) and other data to already compromised systems.(Citation: ESET MoustachedBouncer)

Adversaries may inject content to victim systems in various ways, including:

* From the middle, where the adversary is in-between legitimate online client-server communications (**Note:** this is similar but distinct from [Adversary-in-the-Middle](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1557), which describes AiTM activity solely within an enterprise environment) (Citation: Kaspersky Encyclopedia MiTM)
* From the side, where malicious content is injected and races to the client as a fake response to requests of a legitimate online server (Citation: Kaspersky ManOnTheSide)

Content injection is often the result of compromised upstream communication channels, for example at the level of an internet service provider (ISP) as is the case with "lawful interception."(Citation: Kaspersky ManOnTheSide)(Citation: ESET MoustachedBouncer)(Citation: EFF China GitHub Attack)
Content Injection
source_name: mitre-attack  url: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1659  external_id: T1659     source_name: EFF China GitHub Attack  description: Budington, B. (2015, April 2). China Uses Unencrypted Websites to Hijack Browsers in GitHub Attack. Retrieved September 1, 2023.  url: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/china-uses-unencrypted-websites-to-hijack-browsers-in-github-attack     source_name: ESET MoustachedBouncer  description: Faou, M. (2023, August 10). MoustachedBouncer: Espionage against foreign diplomats in Belarus. Retrieved September 1, 2023.  url: https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/moustachedbouncer-espionage-against-foreign-diplomats-in-belarus/     source_name: Kaspersky Encyclopedia MiTM  description: Kaspersky IT Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Man-in-the-middle attack. Retrieved September 1, 2023.  url: https://encyclopedia.kaspersky.com/glossary/man-in-the-middle-attack/     source_name: Kaspersky ManOnTheSide  description: Starikova, A. (2023, February 14). Man-on-the-side – peculiar attack. Retrieved September 1, 2023.  url: https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/man-on-the-side/27854/     