What is an attack path?

An attack path describes the sequence of steps a malicious actor follows to progress from
initial access to achieving a specific objective, such as data theft, service disruption, or
account compromise. In practice, a single breach often unfolds along a chain of weaknesses:
weak credentials, unpatched software, misconfigurations, and the trusted relationships between
systems. For defenders, outlining the attack path helps reveal where controls can interdict, slow
down, or even stop an intrusion before it reaches its goal.

Think of the attack path as the attacker’s roadmap. By tracing that road, security teams can map
chokepoints—places where a single misstep or a single strong control can disrupt the entire
sequence. This view supports proactive defense rather than reactive incident response and makes
it easier to communicate risk to executives and frontline teams alike.

Common attack paths in modern networks

In many breaches, adversaries follow familiar patterns that exploit the weakest links in an
organization. Understanding these patterns helps defenders anticipate the move from one step to
another in the attack path.

• Phishing leading to credential theft: A crafted email or link tricks a user
  into divulging usernames and passwords, providing foothold for further actions.
• Exploitation of remote access: Weak VPNs, exposed RDP endpoints, or misconfigured
  remote services give attackers an initial access point to the internal network.
• Supply chain or third-party compromise: Compromised software updates or vendor
  access can introduce an attacker into legitimate software environments.
• Lateral movement via trusted relationships: Valid accounts or over-privileged
  credentials enable movement from one host to another, often along the attack path.
• Privilege escalation and persistence: Exploiting misconfigurations or
  vulnerabilities to gain higher privileges or maintain a foothold even after initial
  containment attempts.
• Data discovery and exfiltration: Once data stores or cloud buckets are found,
  sensitive information may be copied or transmitted outside the organization along the attack path.

Each of these paths represents a possible route an attacker might take. In practice, multiple
paths may converge on a single goal, such as access to customer data or financial records. The
key for defenders is to identify which steps are most likely in their environment and which
controls can block or slow them down.

How defenders map and analyze an attack path

Mapping the attack path starts with a clear picture of the organization’s assets, data flows, and
trust boundaries. From there, security teams assess where an adversary could break in, move
laterally, and reach critical data or systems.

• Asset inventory and data flows: Catalogue systems, applications, and where data
  resides. Identify which assets would cause the greatest impact if accessed by an attacker.
• Initial access vectors: Determine likely entry points, such as email, web
  apps, or unprotected remote access endpoints, that could seed an attack path.
• Trust relationships and lateral movement: Map how users, services, and machines
  trust one another, and where those paths could be abused.
• Chokepoints and controls: Locate points where a single control can disrupt or
  monitor the attack path, such as MFA on privileged accounts or network segmentation.
• Detection coverage: Review whether telemetry from endpoints, networks, and cloud
  services can reveal an attacker moving along the path.

The goal is to create a living model of the attack path that can be updated as the environment
changes—new software, new users, or new external connections. This model supports risk-based
prioritization of defenses and helps align security investments with real-world threats.

MITRE ATT&CK and the attack path

The MITRE ATT&CK framework provides a practical language for describing attacker behavior across
the attack path. By mapping observed activities to ATT&CK techniques—such as initial access
methods, persistence mechanisms, privilege escalation routes, and discovery steps—teams can
connect the dots from entry to objective.

In practice, an attack path often spans multiple MITRE techniques: initial access (for example,
phishing or supply chain compromise), execution and persistence, credential access, discovery,
lateral movement, credential theft, and exfiltration. When defenders align their detections and
mitigations to these techniques, they gain a clearer view of where the path is most vulnerable
and which signals matter most for early warning.

Defensive strategies to cut the attack path

Cutting the attack path requires layered defenses that reduce the likelihood of a breach and
shorten the time attackers can operate inside the network. The most effective approach blends
people, processes, and technology.

• Reduce the attack surface: Keep systems patched, disable unnecessary services, and
  limit exposed endpoints to minimize initial access opportunities.
• Strengthen identity and access management: Enforce strong authentication, enable MFA
  everywhere, and apply the principle of least privilege to reduce what attackers can do after
  gaining a foothold.
• Network segmentation and zero trust: Segment critical segments and require
  continuous verification for access requests, even within the network, to hinder east-west movement.
• Detect and respond with multi-layer telemetry: Deploy EDR, NDR, and cloud-native
  monitoring, correlate signals, and tune alerts to reflect the attack path stages.
• Secure remote work and cloud configurations: Harden VPNs, enforce conditional
  access, and audit cloud permissions and storage to prevent misconfigurations that enable data theft.
• Incident response readiness: Establish playbooks, run tabletop exercises, and
  ensure rapid containment and recovery when the attack path is detected.

Practical steps to evaluate your own attack path

1. Inventory assets and data flows to understand what is most valuable and where it resides.
2. Map typical user journeys and service interdependencies to identify potential attack paths.
3. Review the external attack surface—open ports, public services, and third-party access—that could seed an attack path.
4. Prioritize mitigations by impact and likelihood, focusing first on chokepoints that block multiple paths.
5. Test defenses with red-team or purple-team exercises to validate detection and response capabilities along the attack path.
6. Establish a cycle of continuous improvement: update the attack path model after incidents, audits, or threat intel updates.

As you implement changes, track metrics that matter for the attack path, such as mean time to detect
(MTTD), mean time to contain (MTTC), and dwell time on critical assets. Clear measurement helps show
how defenses are interrupting the attack path and where further investments are needed.

Real-world perspective: why attack path thinking matters

Consider a mid-sized enterprise that faced a breach initiated by a phishing email. The attacker
gained credentials and moved laterally through an unsegmented network, reaching a file server with
sensitive data. Because defenses were weak along the attack path, the intruder exfiltrated data
before detection. After adopting a proactive view of the attack path—with MFA, network segmentation,
enhanced endpoint telemetry, and cloud access controls—the organization reduced dwell time,
improved early detection, and accelerated containment in subsequent incidents. The incident
underscored a simple truth: when you can visualize the attack path, you can disrupt it more
effectively.

Conclusion

The attack path is more than a theoretical concept; it is a practical tool for risk management. By
mapping potential routes from initial access to impact, organizations can prioritize defenses,
align team efforts, and measure progress in stopping breaches before they reach their goals.
Security teams should treat the attack path as a living model—one that evolves with the threat
landscape, patch cycles, and changes in people and technology. With deliberate planning and
continuous improvement, you can shorten or even sever the attack path, keeping critical assets
safer in an ever-changing digital world.