MacOS Osascript Executing JavaScript Code With ObjC

name: MacOS Osascript Executing JavaScript Code With ObjC
id: 9ad44dce-7291-47f8-84a7-e343a5147242
version: 1
creation_date: '2026-09-18'
modification_date: '2026-09-18'
author: Radka Viskova, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: |-
    This analytic detects the macOS osascript utility executing JavaScript for Automation (JXA) code, identified by
    the "-l JavaScript" interpreter flag, with references to the Objective-C bridge. Adversaries may abuse JXA and
    Objective-C APIs to interact with macOS applications, access native system functionality, execute commands, or
    perform post-exploitation activity.
data_source:
    - Osquery Results
search: |-
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
      count min(_time) as firstTime
            max(_time) as lastTime

    FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes WHERE

    Processes.process_name="osascript"
    Processes.process="*-l *"
    Processes.process="* JavaScript*"
    Processes.process="*ObjC.*"

    BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec
        Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id
        Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
        Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
        Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
        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)`
    | `macos_osascript_executing_javascript_code_with_objc_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: |-
    Scripts that legitimately invoke utility Osascript with JavaScript for automation or system management.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/002/
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/007/
    - https://www.loobins.io/binaries/osascript/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  user = "$user$" dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$", "$dest$") | 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"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 30
          message: The Osascript utility with the command line [$process$] was observed on [$dest$] executing JXA code with Objective-C bridge references.
threat_objects:
    - field: process
      type: process
analytic_story:
    - MacOS Post-Exploitation
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1059.002
    - T1059.007
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/refs/heads/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1059.002/osascript_JavaScript_command_execution_Objective_C/osascript_JavaScript_command_execution_Objective_C.log
          source: osquery
          sourcetype: osquery:results
      test_type: unit