Potential Persistence via Login Hook

Identifies the creation or modification of the login window property list (plist). Adversaries may modify plist files to run a program during system boot or user login for persistence.

Rule type: query

Rule indices:

auditbeat-*
logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5m

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

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

https://github.com/D00MFist/PersistentJXA/blob/master/LoginScript.js

Tags:

Elastic
Host
macOS
Threat Detection
Persistence

Version: 5

Rule authors:

Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Investigation guide

edit

## Triage and analysis

Starting in Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), users can specify certain applications to be re-opened when a user reboots their machine. This can be abused to establish or maintain persistence on a compromised system.

Rule query

edit

event.category:"file" and not event.type:"deletion" and
 file.name:"com.apple.loginwindow.plist" and
 process.name:(* and not (systemmigrationd or DesktopServicesHelper or diskmanagementd or rsync or launchd or cfprefsd or xpcproxy or ManagedClient or MCXCompositor or backupd or "iMazing Profile Editor"
))

Framework: MITRE ATT&CK^TM

Tactic:
- Name: Persistence
- ID: TA0003
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/
Technique:
- Name: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- ID: T1547
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/
Sub-technique:
- Name: Plist Modification
- ID: T1547.011
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/011/

« Persistence via Folder Action Script Suspicious Calendar File Modification »