Detection: Linux MySQL Privilege Escalation

Description

The following analytic detects the execution of MySQL commands with elevated privileges using sudo, which can lead to privilege escalation. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs that include command-line details. This activity is significant because it indicates a potential misuse of MySQL to execute system commands as root, which could allow an attacker to gain root shell access. If confirmed malicious, this could result in full control over the affected system, leading to severe security breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Search

1
2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process="*mysql*-e*" AND Processes.process="*\!**" AND Processes.process="*sudo*" by Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.parent_process_name Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.parent_process_id Processes.process_guid 
3| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
6| `linux_mysql_privilege_escalation_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
Sysmon for Linux EventID 1	Linux	'sysmon:linux'	'Syslog:Linux-Sysmon/Operational'

Macros Used

Annotations

Default Configuration

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

Implementation

The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the Processes node of the Endpoint data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.

Known False Positives

False positives are present based on automated tooling or system administrative usage. Filter as needed.

Associated Analytic Story

• Linux Living Off The Land

• Linux Privilege Escalation

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

References

• https://gtfobins.github.io/gtfobins/mysql/

Detection Testing

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: 4