IMPORTANT: No additional bug fixes or documentation updates will be released for this version.
Netcat Network Activity
editNetcat Network Activity
editA netcat
process is engaging in network activity on a Linux host. Netcat is
often used as a persistence mechanism by exporting a reverse shell or by serving
a shell on a listening port. Netcat is also sometimes used for data
exfiltration.
Rule type: query
Rule indices:
- auditbeat-*
Severity: medium
Risk score: 47
Runs every: 5 minutes
Searches indices from: now-6m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum signals per execution: 100
References:
Tags:
- Elastic
- Linux
Version: 2 (version history)
Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.6.0
Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 7.7.0
Potential false positives
editNetcat is a dual-use tool that can be used for benign or malicious activity. Netcat is included in some Linux distributions so its presence is not necessarily suspicious. Some normal use of this program, while uncommon, may originate from scripts, automation tools, and frameworks.
Rule query
editprocess.name:(nc or ncat or netcat or netcat.openbsd or netcat.traditional) and event.action:(bound-socket or connected-to or socket_opened)
Rule version history
edit- Version 2 (7.7.0 release)
-
Updated query, changed from:
process.name: (nc or ncat or netcat or netcat.openbsd or netcat.traditional) and event.action: (connected-to or bound-socket or socket_opened)