Socat Network Listener Binding an Executable

name: Socat Network Listener Binding an Executable
id: 72482d45-1d05-46f5-bb6c-e2b709a8073a
version: 1
creation_date: '2026-08-27'
modification_date: '2026-08-27'
author: Maria Jose Erquiaga, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: |-
    The following analytic detects the execution of the socat utility with command-line arguments that configure a TCP or OpenSSL listener and bind an executable to incoming connections.
    Socat is a legitimate network utility, but this behavior may be used to expose executables, establish bind shells, facilitate remote command execution, or support lateral movement.
data_source:
    - Osquery Results
    - Sysmon for Linux EventID 1
search: |-
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
      count
      min(_time) as firstTime
      max(_time) as lastTime

    from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where

    Processes.process_name="socat*"
    Processes.process="*exec:*"
    Processes.process="*-listen:*"

    by Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process_id
       Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
       Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id
       Processes.process_current_directory Processes.process_name
       Processes.process_path Processes.user
       Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product

    | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
    | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
    | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
    | `socat_network_listener_binding_an_executable_filter`
how_to_implement: |-
    This detection uses osquery and endpoint security on MacOS. Follow the link in references, which describes how to setup process auditing in MacOS with endpoint security and osquery.
    Also the [TA-OSquery](https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/8574) must be deployed across your indexers and universal forwarders in order to have the osquery data populate the data models.
known_false_positives: |-
    Developers, network engineers, and system administrators may use socat to expose benign executables for protocol testing, debugging, data transformation, or troubleshooting.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059
    - https://blog.talosintelligence.com/bad-apples-weaponizing-native-macos-primitives-for-movement-and-execution/
    - https://gtfobins.github.io/gtfobins/socat/
    - https://hackers-arise.com/socat-the-advanced-hackers-network-tool/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
finding:
    title: Socat was executed with a TCP or OpenSSL listener configured to pass inbound connections to an executable via [$process$] on endpoint [$dest$] by user [$user$].
    entity:
        field: dest
        type: system
        score: 50
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 50
          message: Socat was executed with a TCP or OpenSSL listener configured to pass inbound connections to an executable via [$process$] on endpoint [$dest$] by user [$user$].
threat_objects:
    - field: process
      type: process
analytic_story:
    - MacOS Post-Exploitation
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1059
    - T1572
product:
    - Splunk Cloud
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1059/utility_socat_listener_binding_executable/osquery.log
          source: osqueryd.results.log
          sourcetype: osquery:results
      test_type: unit