Cross-source coverage
T1071.005 / ATT&CK
Application Layer Protocol: Publish/Subscribe Protocols
1 rule across 1 source.
From MITRE ATT&CK 19.2
Adversaries may communicate using publish/subscribe (pub/sub) application layer protocols to avoid detection/network filtering by blending in with existing traffic. Commands to the remote system, and often the results of those commands, will be embedded within the protocol traffic between the client and server.
Protocols such as MQTT, XMPP, AMQP, and STOMP use a publish/subscribe design, with message distribution managed by a centralized broker. Publishers categorize their messages by topics, while subscribers receive messages according to their subscribed topics. An adversary may abuse publish/subscribe protocols to communicate with systems under their control from behind a message broker while also mimicking normal, expected traffic.
- Tactics
- Command and Control
- Platforms
- macOS · Linux · Windows · Network Devices
- Telemetry
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WinEventLog:SysmonNSM:Flowauditd:SYSCALLmacos:unifiedlogmacos:osquery
How MITRE says to detect it DET0002
Behavioral Detection of Publish/Subscribe Protocol Misuse for C2
Windows Analytic 0002
Detects non-standard processes (e.g., PowerShell, python.exe, rundll32.exe) making outbound connections using publish/subscribe protocols (e.g., MQTT, AMQP) over non-browser, encrypted channels, often beaconing to message brokers.
WinEventLog:SysmonEventCode=3, 22NSM:Flowmqtt.log / xmpp.log (custom log feeds)
Linux Analytic 0003
Detects CLI tools (e.g., mosquitto_pub, nc, python scripts) interacting with pub/sub brokers using unusual topic names, high-frequency publication rates, or obfuscated payloads to non-standard hosts.
auditd:SYSCALLexecveNSM:Flowmqtt.log or AMQP custom log
macOS Analytic 0004
Detects osascript, curl, or custom binaries interacting with XMPP/MQTT brokers in unapproved destinations with encrypted payloads or frequent POST-like requests to broker URIs.
macos:unifiedloglog stream 'eventMessage contains pubsub or broker'macos:osquerysocket_events
Network Devices Analytic 0005
Detects pub/sub traffic over unusual ports, high-frequency topic publications, and connections to known-bad or dynamic broker endpoints outside allowlisted infrastructure.
NSM:Flowmqtt.log, xmpp.log, amqp.log
elastic/detection-rules
1 rule| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| First Seen External MQTT Broker Connection | Medium | Elastic TOML |