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Key Facts: MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals Exam

80%

Passing Score

MAD20

Enterprise Tactics

MITRE ATT&CK

Assessment Attempts Allowed

MAD20

Living Certification

Badge Type

MAD20 / Credly

Free

ATT&CK Navigator Access

MITRE

v7+

Reconnaissance Added

MITRE ATT&CK

The MAD20 ATT&CK Fundamentals badge is the foundational credential in MITRE Engenuity's practitioner training series. Candidates pass self-paced online module assessments at 80% or above, earning a Living Certification badge via Credly that stays updated with the current ATT&CK version.

Sample MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What is the primary purpose of the MITRE ATT&CK framework?

A.To document real-world adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures based on observed behavior

B.To provide a checklist of security controls for compliance audits

C.To score software vulnerabilities using a standardized numeric system

D.To define a step-by-step kill chain for penetration testers

Explanation: MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) is a globally accessible knowledge base of adversary behavior built from real-world threat intelligence observations. It documents how attackers actually operate — not theoretical scenarios — giving defenders a shared vocabulary to describe, detect, and defend against threats.

2How many tactics are in the MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Matrix?

A.9

B.11

C.14

D.17

Explanation: The MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Matrix contains 14 tactics: Reconnaissance, Resource Development, Initial Access, Execution, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion, Credential Access, Discovery, Lateral Movement, Collection, Command and Control, Exfiltration, and Impact. Tactics represent the adversary's high-level objectives at each stage.

3In ATT&CK terminology, what does a 'tactic' represent?

A.The adversary's high-level goal or objective during an intrusion

B.A specific method an adversary uses to accomplish an objective

C.A detailed step-by-step procedure used in a specific attack campaign

D.A data source used to detect adversary activity

Explanation: In the ATT&CK framework, tactics represent the 'why' — the adversary's tactical goal or objective at a given phase of an operation. For example, 'Persistence' is a tactic because the goal is to maintain foothold. Techniques answer 'how' the adversary achieves that goal, and procedures are specific real-world implementations.

4What is the correct format for a MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise sub-technique ID?

A.ST1059.001

B.T1059/001

C.T1059.001

D.TA0002.001

Explanation: ATT&CK sub-techniques are identified with the parent technique ID followed by a period and a three-digit number, e.g., T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell). The 'T' prefix denotes technique, and the decimal notation distinguishes sub-techniques from parent techniques.

5Which of the following is the FIRST tactic in the ATT&CK Enterprise Matrix (leftmost column)?

A.Reconnaissance

B.Initial Access

C.Resource Development

D.Execution

Explanation: Reconnaissance (TA0043) is the first tactic in the ATT&CK Enterprise Matrix, representing activities the adversary performs before any direct interaction with the victim infrastructure, such as gathering information via open sources or active scanning. It was added in ATT&CK v7 along with Resource Development.

6ATT&CK contains separate matrices for different domains. Which of the following is NOT a separate ATT&CK matrix domain?

A.Mobile

B.ICS (Industrial Control Systems)

C.Cloud

D.Enterprise

Explanation: MITRE ATT&CK currently has three top-level domains: Enterprise, Mobile, and ICS. 'Cloud' is a platform within the Enterprise matrix (alongside Windows, Linux, macOS, Containers, etc.), not a separate stand-alone matrix. Enterprise covers network, endpoints, and cloud platforms together.

7What is the relationship between an ATT&CK technique and a sub-technique?

A.Sub-techniques are more specific implementations of a parent technique

B.Sub-techniques are more abstract than techniques and group related behaviors together

C.Sub-techniques belong to a different tactic than their parent technique

D.Sub-techniques are deprecated versions of older techniques

Explanation: Sub-techniques provide more granular detail about specific implementations or variations of a parent technique. For example, T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) is the parent technique, and T1059.001 (PowerShell) is a sub-technique specifying one particular scripting interpreter. Sub-techniques share the same tactic(s) as their parent.

8Which ATT&CK tactic covers an adversary's efforts to steal credentials such as passwords and hashes?

A.Privilege Escalation

B.Lateral Movement

C.Credential Access

D.Defense Evasion

Explanation: Credential Access (TA0006) encompasses techniques adversaries use to steal account names and credentials, including password dumping, brute force, and keylogging. Gaining credentials allows adversaries to access systems and resources using legitimate accounts, making detection harder.

9What does the 'Impact' tactic in ATT&CK Enterprise primarily cover?

A.Techniques adversaries use to disrupt availability or compromise data integrity

B.Techniques for gaining initial footholds through phishing and exploits

C.Techniques to gather information about target systems

D.Techniques for encrypting command-and-control communications

Explanation: Impact (TA0040) is the final tactic in the Enterprise matrix, covering techniques that adversaries use to disrupt business operations, destroy data, or compromise data integrity. Examples include ransomware (T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact), defacement (T1491), and disk wiping (T1561).

10Which ATT&CK tactic was added to the Enterprise matrix to cover adversary activities BEFORE any direct victim interaction, such as gathering open-source intelligence?

A.Collection

B.Exfiltration

C.Reconnaissance

D.Resource Development

Explanation: Reconnaissance (TA0043) was added in ATT&CK v7 to capture pre-attack information-gathering activities that occur before the adversary contacts the victim. Examples include T1595 (Active Scanning), T1592 (Gather Victim Host Information), and T1589 (Gather Victim Identity Information) via open sources like LinkedIn.

About the MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals Exam

The MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals badge from MAD20 (MITRE Engenuity) is the entry-level credential for practitioners learning to use the ATT&CK framework. Created by MITRE experts, it validates knowledge of ATT&CK structure, Navigator, and practical application across detection, threat intelligence, and red team use cases.

Exam sponsor: MAD20 / MITRE Engenuity. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Question count not published by the exam provider

Time Limit

Self-paced module assessments

Passing Score

80% per module

Exam / Certification Fees

Included with MAD20 subscription

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: Not published. MAD20 does not publish pass rate data for the ATT&CK Fundamentals badge. Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

30%

ATT&CK Framework Structure

14 Enterprise tactics, technique and sub-technique hierarchy, ID formats (T/TA/G/S), TTP definitions, and platform coverage

15%

ATT&CK Scope and Limitations

What ATT&CK captures vs. does not capture, public intelligence sourcing, framework boundaries, and comparison to other models

15%

ATT&CK Navigator

Creating and merging layers, heat maps, group visualization, JSON import/export, and gap analysis workflows

25%

Applying ATT&CK

Detection engineering, threat hunting hypotheses, adversary emulation, red team planning, CTI enrichment, and mitigations

10%

Data Sources and Coverage

ATT&CK data sources, data components, telemetry requirements, platform coverage assessment, and detection prioritization

Communicating with ATT&CK

Shared vocabulary, STIX/TAXII format, ATT&CK Evaluations, executive reporting, and vendor coverage claims

Preparing for the MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 80% per module
Assessment: Question count not published by the exam provider
Time limit: Self-paced module assessments
Exam / certification fees: Included with MAD20 subscription Official sources

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MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals: Suggested Study Strategy

1Memorize the 14 Enterprise tactics in order — Reconnaissance, Resource Development, Initial Access, Execution, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion, Credential Access, Discovery, Lateral Movement, Collection, Command and Control, Exfiltration, Impact

2Practice using ATT&CK Navigator directly — create a layer for a named threat group (e.g., APT29) to understand group-based technique visualization

3Understand the ID prefix system: TA = Tactic, T = Technique, G = Group, S = Software

4Know the key limitations: ATT&CK is behavior-based (not CVE-based), built from public threat intel (may lag novel techniques), and does not capture adversary motivations

5Practice mapping observed behaviors to the most specific sub-technique available — precision matters for detection and reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals badge?

The MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals badge is issued by MAD20 (MITRE Engenuity) upon completing the foundational ATT&CK online course and passing all module assessments at 80% or above. The badge is a Living Certification issued via Credly, meaning it stays updated as ATT&CK evolves.

What topics does the ATT&CK Fundamentals course cover?

The course covers the ATT&CK framework structure (14 Enterprise tactics, techniques, sub-techniques), what ATT&CK does and does not capture, using the ATT&CK Navigator for visualization and gap analysis, applying ATT&CK to detection engineering, threat intelligence, red teaming, and defense, and data sources for detection coverage.

What is the passing score for the MAD20 ATT&CK Fundamentals badge?

Candidates must pass each module assessment at 80% or above to earn the ATT&CK Fundamentals badge. MAD20 allows up to 10 attempts per module assessment.

Is MITRE ATT&CK Fundamentals worth getting?

The ATT&CK Fundamentals badge is valuable for security analysts, threat intelligence practitioners, detection engineers, and red teamers who want to formalize their ATT&CK knowledge. It is a prerequisite for all other MAD20 certifications and provides a credential verifiable through Credly.

How do I access the ATT&CK Fundamentals course?

The MAD20 ATT&CK Fundamentals course requires a MAD20 subscription through MITRE Engenuity at mad20.com. The MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base itself (attack.mitre.org) and ATT&CK Navigator are freely available without a subscription for self-study.

What is the ATT&CK Navigator?

The ATT&CK Navigator is a free, open-source, browser-based web application for annotating and exploring the ATT&CK matrix. It allows users to create custom layers — highlighting techniques used by specific threat groups, visualizing detection coverage, or creating heat maps — without any installation or API key required.