Process Discovery via Built-In Applications

[metadata]
creation_date = "2023/07/11"
integration = ["endpoint"]
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2026/03/02"

[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
building_block_type = "default"
description = """
Identifies the use of built-in tools attackers can use to discover running processes on an endpoint.
"""
from = "now-119m"
index = ["logs-endpoint.events.*", "endgame-*"]
interval = "60m"
language = "kuery"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Process Discovery via Built-In Applications"
risk_score = 21
rule_id = "3f4d7734-2151-4481-b394-09d7c6c91f75"
severity = "low"
tags = [
    "Domain: Endpoint",
    "OS: Linux",
    "OS: macOS",
    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
    "Tactic: Discovery",
    "Rule Type: BBR",
    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
]
timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
type = "new_terms"
query = '''
event.category:process and host.os.type:(linux or macos) and event.type:start and event.action:(exec or exec_event) and
process.name:("ps" or "pstree" or "htop" or "pgrep") and not (
  process.parent.name:("amazon-ssm-agent" or "snap") or
  process.parent.args:("/usr/local/ASR/Vx/bin/status" or "/usr/sbin/ksmtuned") or
  process.parent.executable:(
    "/usr/bin/check_mk_agent" or /opt/gitlab/* or "/usr/bin/pmlogctl" or "/usr/libexec/pcp/bin/pmlogger_daily" or
    "/usr/libexec/pcp/bin/pmlogger_check"
  )
)
'''

[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"

[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1057"
name = "Process Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1057/"

[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1518"
name = "Software Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1518/"

[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1518.001"
name = "Security Software Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1518/001/"

[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0007"
name = "Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0007/"

[rule.new_terms]
field = "new_terms_fields"
value = ["process.parent.executable", "process.command_line", "host.id"]

[[rule.new_terms.history_window_start]]
field = "history_window_start"
value = "now-5d"