Launch Agent Creation or Modification and Immediate Loadingedit
An adversary can establish persistence by installing a new launch agent that executes at login by using launchd or launchctl to load a plist into the appropriate directories.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- logs-endpoint.events.*
Severity: low
Risk score: 21
Runs every: 5m
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)
Maximum alerts per execution: 100
References:
Tags:
- Domain: Endpoint
- OS: macOS
- Use Case: Threat Detection
- Tactic: Persistence
- Data Source: Elastic Defend
Version: 105
Rule authors:
- Elastic
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Rule queryedit
sequence by host.id with maxspan=1m
[file where host.os.type == "macos" and event.type != "deletion" and
file.path : ("/System/Library/LaunchAgents/*", "/Library/LaunchAgents/*", "/Users/*/Library/LaunchAgents/*")
]
[process where host.os.type == "macos" and event.type in ("start", "process_started") and process.name == "launchctl" and process.args == "load"]
Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Persistence
- ID: TA0003
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/
-
Technique:
- Name: Create or Modify System Process
- ID: T1543
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/
-
Sub-technique:
- Name: Launch Agent
- ID: T1543.001
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/001/