Apple Script Execution followed by Network Connectionedit

Detects execution via the Apple script interpreter (osascript) followed by a network connection from the same process within a short time period. Adversaries may use malicious scripts for execution and command and control.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

  • auditbeat-*
  • logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5 minutes

Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

Tags:

  • Elastic
  • Host
  • macOS
  • Threat Detection
  • Command and Control
  • Execution

Version: 100 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.11.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.5.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Rule queryedit

sequence by host.id, process.entity_id with maxspan=30s [process
where event.type == "start" and process.name == "osascript"] [network
where event.type != "end" and process.name == "osascript" and
destination.ip != "::1" and not cidrmatch(destination.ip,
"10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12",
"192.0.0.0/24", "192.0.0.0/29", "192.0.0.8/32", "192.0.0.9/32",
"192.0.0.10/32", "192.0.0.170/32", "192.0.0.171/32", "192.0.2.0/24",
"192.31.196.0/24", "192.52.193.0/24", "192.168.0.0/16",
"192.88.99.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "100.64.0.0/10", "192.175.48.0/24",
"198.18.0.0/15", "198.51.100.0/24", "203.0.113.0/24", "240.0.0.0/4",
"::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8")]

Threat mappingedit

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

Rule version historyedit

Version 100 (8.5.0 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 5 (8.4.0 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 3 (7.14.0 release)
  • Updated query, changed from:

    sequence by host.id, process.entity_id with maxspan=30s [process
    where event.type == "start" and process.name == "osascript"] [network
    where event.type != "end" and process.name == "osascript" and
    destination.ip != "::1" and not cidrmatch(destination.ip,
    "10.0.0.0/8", "172.16.0.0/12",
    "192.168.0.0/16", "127.0.0.0/8",
    "169.254.0.0/16", "224.0.0.0/4",
    "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8") ]
Version 2 (7.12.0 release)
  • Formatting only