Detection: Linux Auditd Insert Kernel Module Using Insmod Utility

Updated Date: 2024-09-30 ID: bc0ca53f-dea6-4906-9b12-09c396fdf1d3 Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk Type: Anomaly Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects the insertion of a Linux kernel module using the insmod utility. It leverages data from Linux Auditd, focusing on process execution logs that include process names and command-line details. This activity is significant as it may indicate the installation of a rootkit or malicious kernel module, potentially allowing an attacker to gain elevated privileges and bypass security detections. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized code execution, persistent access, and severe compromise of the affected system.

1`linux_auditd` type=SYSCALL comm=insmod 
2| rename host as dest 
3| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by comm exe  SYSCALL UID ppid pid success dest 
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
6| `linux_auditd_insert_kernel_module_using_insmod_utility_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source
Linux Auditd Syscall Linux icon Linux 'linux:audit' '/var/log/audit/audit.log'

Macros Used

Name Value
linux_auditd sourcetype="linux:audit"
linux_auditd_insert_kernel_module_using_insmod_utility_filter search *
linux_auditd_insert_kernel_module_using_insmod_utility_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
T1547.006 Kernel Modules and Extensions Persistence
T1547 Boot or Logon Autostart Execution Privilege Escalation
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
KillChainPhase.INSTALLATION
NistCategory.DE_AE
Cis18Value.CIS_10

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 SYSCALL - [$comm$] event was executed on host - [$dest$] to insert a Linux kernel module using the insmod utility. 64 80 80
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: 2