Cross-source coverage
T1547.013 / ATT&CK
Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: XDG Autostart Entries
5 rules across 1 source.
From MITRE ATT&CK 19.2
Adversaries may add or modify XDG Autostart Entries to execute malicious programs or commands when a user’s desktop environment is loaded at login. XDG Autostart entries are available for any XDG-compliant Linux system. XDG Autostart entries use Desktop Entry files (.desktop) to configure the user’s desktop environment upon user login. These configuration files determine what applications launch upon user login, define associated applications to open specific file types, and define applications used to open removable media.
Adversaries may abuse this feature to establish persistence by adding a path to a malicious binary or command to the Exec directive in the .desktop configuration file. When the user’s desktop environment is loaded at user login, the .desktop files located in the XDG Autostart directories are automatically executed. System-wide Autostart entries are located in the /etc/xdg/autostart directory while the user entries are located in the ~/.config/autostart directory.
Adversaries may combine this technique with Masquerading to blend malicious Autostart entries with legitimate programs.
- Tactics
- Persistence · Privilege Escalation
- Platforms
- Linux
- Telemetry
-
auditd:SYSCALLauditd:EXECVElinux:osquerylinux:auth
How MITRE says to detect it DET0390
Linux Detection Strategy for T1547.013 - XDG Autostart Entries
Linux Analytic 1096
Correlation of file creation/modification of `.desktop` files within XDG autostart directories, followed by execution of processes at user login initiated by the desktop environment. Malicious entries typically include suspicious Exec paths or anomalous names and are not associated with installed packages.
auditd:SYSCALLcreatauditd:SYSCALLopenauditd:EXECVEProcess execution via .desktop Exec path from /etc/xdg/autostart or ~/.config/autostartlinux:osqueryWrite or modify .desktop file in XDG autostart pathlinux:authUser login event followed by unexpected process tree
elastic/detection-rules
5 rules| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Executable Bit Set for Potential Persistence Script | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| KDE AutoStart Script or Desktop File Creation | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| Network Connections Initiated Through XDG Autostart Entry | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| Pod or Container Creation with Suspicious Command-Line | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| Potential Persistence via File Modification | Low | Elastic TOML |