Detection: Linux Auditd Possible Access To Credential Files

Description

The following analytic detects attempts to access or dump the contents of /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow files on Linux systems. It leverages data from Linux Auditd, focusing on processes like 'cat', 'nano', 'vim', and 'vi' accessing these files. This activity is significant as it may indicate credential dumping, a technique used by adversaries to gain persistence or escalate privileges. If confirmed malicious, privileges. If confirmed malicious, attackers could obtain hashed passwords for offline cracking, leading to unauthorized access and potential system compromise.

1`linux_auditd` `linux_auditd_normalized_proctitle_process` 
2| rename host as dest 
3| where (LIKE (process_exec, "%shadow%") OR LIKE (process_exec, "%passwd%")) AND (LIKE (process_exec, "%cat %") OR LIKE (process_exec, "%nano %")OR LIKE (process_exec, "%vim %") OR LIKE (process_exec, "%vi %")) 
4| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by process_exec proctitle normalized_proctitle_delimiter dest 
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
6| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
7| `linux_auditd_possible_access_to_credential_files_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source Supported App
Linux Auditd Proctitle Linux icon Linux 'linux:audit' '/var/log/audit/audit.log' N/A

Macros Used

Name Value
linux_auditd sourcetype="linux:audit"
linux_auditd_possible_access_to_credential_files_filter search *
linux_auditd_possible_access_to_credential_files_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK
+ Kill Chain Phases
+ NIST
+ CIS
- Threat Actors
ID Technique Tactic
T1003.008 /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow Credential Access
T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
NistCategory.DE_AE
Cis18Value.CIS_10
APT28
APT32
APT39
Axiom
Leviathan
Poseidon Group
Sowbug
Suckfly
Tonto Team

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting Value
Disabled true
Cron Schedule 0 * * * *
Earliest Time -70m@m
Latest Time -10m@m
Schedule Window auto
Creates Risk Event True
This configuration file applies to all detections of type anomaly. These detections will use Risk Based Alerting.

Implementation

To implement this detection, the process begins by ingesting auditd data, that consist SYSCALL, TYPE, EXECVE and PROCTITLE events, which captures command-line executions and process details on Unix/Linux systems. These logs should be ingested and processed using Splunk Add-on for Unix and Linux (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/833), which is essential for correctly parsing and categorizing the data. The next step involves normalizing the field names to match the field names set by the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to ensure consistency across different data sources and enhance the efficiency of data modeling. This approach enables effective monitoring and detection of linux endpoints where auditd is deployed

Known False Positives

Administrator or network operator can execute this command. Please update the filter macros to remove false positives.

Associated Analytic Story

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message Risk Score Impact Confidence
A [$process_exec$] event occurred on host - [$dest$] to access or dump the contents of /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow files. 25 50 50
The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

References

Detection Testing

Test Type Status Dataset Source Sourcetype
Validation Passing N/A N/A N/A
Unit Passing Dataset /var/log/audit/audit.log linux:audit
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset /var/log/audit/audit.log linux:audit

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range


Source: GitHub | Version: 1