Suspicious Interactive Terminal Spawn


Description

Identifies when an interactive terminal is spawned via an interpreter parent process. This behavior indicates an attacker is attempting to gain a more stable connection to a host after obtaining initial access.

Query · eql

process where event.type == "start" and event.action == "exec" and (
  (
    process.name == "perl" and process.args like "-e*" and process.command_line like "*exec*" and
    process.command_line like ("*\"*sh\";*", "*'*sh';*")
  ) or
  (
    process.parent.name like "python*" and
    process.name in ("bash", "dash", "ash", "sh", "tcsh", "csh", "zsh", "ksh", "fish", "mksh", "busybox") and
    (
      (
        process.parent.args_count >= 3 and
        process.parent.args like~ "*pty.spawn*" and
        process.parent.args == "-c"
      ) or
      (
        process.args in (
          "bash", "dash", "ash", "sh", "tcsh", "csh", "zsh", "ksh", "fish", "mksh", "busybox",
          "/bin/bash", "/bin/dash", "/bin/ash", "/bin/sh", "/bin/tcsh", "/bin/csh",
          "/bin/zsh", "/bin/ksh", "/bin/fish", "/bin/mksh", "/bin/busybox",
          "/usr/bin/bash", "/usr/bin/dash", "/usr/bin/ash", "/usr/bin/sh", "/usr/bin/tcsh", "/usr/bin/csh",
          "/usr/bin/zsh", "/usr/bin/ksh", "/usr/bin/fish", "/usr/bin/mksh", "/usr/bin/busybox",
          "/usr/local/bin/bash", "/usr/local/bin/dash", "/usr/local/bin/ash", "/usr/local/bin/sh",
          "/usr/local/bin/tcsh", "/usr/local/bin/csh", "/usr/local/bin/zsh", "/usr/local/bin/ksh",
          "/usr/local/bin/fish", "/usr/local/bin/mksh", "/usr/local/bin/busybox"
        ) and
        process.args_count == 1 and
        process.parent.args_count == 1
      )
    )
  )
)
Raw source Suspicious Interactive Terminal Spawn · Elastic TOML
Esc
Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
description = """
Identifies when an interactive terminal is spawned via an interpreter parent process. This behavior indicates an
attacker is attempting to gain a more stable connection to a host after obtaining initial access.
"""
id = "442f824f-a2bb-4052-83d0-4c9514d31214"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Suspicious Interactive Terminal Spawn"
os_list = ["linux"]
version = "1.0.1"

query = '''
process where event.type == "start" and event.action == "exec" and (
  (
    process.name == "perl" and process.args like "-e*" and process.command_line like "*exec*" and
    process.command_line like ("*\"*sh\";*", "*'*sh';*")
  ) or
  (
    process.parent.name like "python*" and
    process.name in ("bash", "dash", "ash", "sh", "tcsh", "csh", "zsh", "ksh", "fish", "mksh", "busybox") and
    (
      (
        process.parent.args_count >= 3 and
        process.parent.args like~ "*pty.spawn*" and
        process.parent.args == "-c"
      ) or
      (
        process.args in (
          "bash", "dash", "ash", "sh", "tcsh", "csh", "zsh", "ksh", "fish", "mksh", "busybox",
          "/bin/bash", "/bin/dash", "/bin/ash", "/bin/sh", "/bin/tcsh", "/bin/csh",
          "/bin/zsh", "/bin/ksh", "/bin/fish", "/bin/mksh", "/bin/busybox",
          "/usr/bin/bash", "/usr/bin/dash", "/usr/bin/ash", "/usr/bin/sh", "/usr/bin/tcsh", "/usr/bin/csh",
          "/usr/bin/zsh", "/usr/bin/ksh", "/usr/bin/fish", "/usr/bin/mksh", "/usr/bin/busybox",
          "/usr/local/bin/bash", "/usr/local/bin/dash", "/usr/local/bin/ash", "/usr/local/bin/sh",
          "/usr/local/bin/tcsh", "/usr/local/bin/csh", "/usr/local/bin/zsh", "/usr/local/bin/ksh",
          "/usr/local/bin/fish", "/usr/local/bin/mksh", "/usr/local/bin/busybox"
        ) and
        process.args_count == 1 and
        process.parent.args_count == 1
      )
    )
  )
)
'''

min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"
optional_actions = []
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.parent.entity_id"
state = 0

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1059"
name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1059.004"
name = "Unix Shell"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/004/"



[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"

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