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Apple Script Execution followed by Network Connection

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Apple Script Execution followed by Network Connection

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Detects execution via the Apple script interpreter (osascript) followed by a network connection from the same process within a short time period. Adversaries may use malicious scripts for execution and command and control.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

auditbeat-*
logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5 minutes

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

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

Tags:

Elastic
Host
macOS
Threat Detection
Command and Control
Execution

Version: 5 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.11.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.4.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Rule query

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sequence by host.id, process.entity_id with maxspan=30s [process
where event.type == "start" and process.name == "osascript"] [network
where event.type != "end" and process.name == "osascript" and
destination.ip != "::1" and not cidrmatch(destination.ip,
"10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12",
"192.0.0.0/24", "192.0.0.0/29", "192.0.0.8/32", "192.0.0.9/32",
"192.0.0.10/32", "192.0.0.170/32", "192.0.0.171/32", "192.0.2.0/24",
"192.31.196.0/24", "192.52.193.0/24", "192.168.0.0/16",
"192.88.99.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "100.64.0.0/10", "192.175.48.0/24",
"198.18.0.0/15", "198.51.100.0/24", "203.0.113.0/24", "240.0.0.0/4",
"::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8")]

Threat mapping

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Framework: MITRE ATT&CK^TM

Tactic:
- Name: Execution
- ID: TA0002
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/
Technique:
- Name: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- ID: T1059
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/
Tactic:
- Name: Command and Control
- ID: TA0011
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0011/
Technique:
- Name: Ingress Tool Transfer
- ID: T1105
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1105/

Rule version history

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Version 5 (8.4.0 release)

Formatting only

Version 3 (7.14.0 release)

Updated query, changed from:

sequence by host.id, process.entity_id with maxspan=30s [process
where event.type == "start" and process.name == "osascript"] [network
where event.type != "end" and process.name == "osascript" and
destination.ip != "::1" and not cidrmatch(destination.ip,
"10.0.0.0/8", "172.16.0.0/12",
"192.168.0.0/16", "127.0.0.0/8",
"169.254.0.0/16", "224.0.0.0/4",
"FE80::/10", "FF00::/8") ]

Version 2 (7.12.0 release)

Formatting only

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