Detection rules › Elastic

Suspicious Python Script Execution and Network Connection

Time window
15s
Sequence by
process.entity_id
Source
github.com/elastic/protections-artifacts

Detects when Python is executed containing arguments containing suspicious file paths followed immediately by a Python network connection. We have observed malware samples that drop and execute a Python script within a suspicious directory in order to establish C2.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Telemetry coverage

Rule body

[rule]
description = """
Detects when Python is executed containing arguments containing suspicious file paths followed immediately by a Python
network connection. We have observed malware samples that drop and execute a Python script within a suspicious directory
in order to establish C2.
"""
id = "cad8906b-156b-48c0-bda9-785ef3561442"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Suspicious Python Script Execution and Network Connection"
os_list = ["macos"]
version = "1.0.10"

query = '''
sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan=15s
[process where event.type == "start" and event.action == "exec" and process.name like~ "python*" and process.args like~ "python*" and 
  process.args like ("/Users/Shared/*", "/tmp/*", "/private/var/tmp/*", "/var/tmp/*") and process.args_count <= 3 and 
  not (process.parent.name in ("zsh", "bash", "sh", "fish", "tcsh") and
        process.parent.command_line in ("-bash", "-zsh", "-sh", "-fish", "-tcsh") and
        process.parent.executable : ("/bin/zsh", "/bin/bash", "/bin/sh", "/opt/homebrew/*", "/usr/local/*") and
        process.code_signature.trusted == true) and
  not (process.parent.name in ("zsh", "bash", "sh") and process.parent.command_line : (
    "*/.claude/shell-snapshots/*",
    "*/.codex/shell_snapshots/*",
    "*/.cursor/shell-snapshots/*"))]
[network where event.type == "start" and
   not destination.domain : ("dl.google.com", "*.cloud.es.io", "*.elastic-cloud.com", "elastic.co", "www.elastic.co") and
   not cidrmatch(destination.ip, 
       "240.0.0.0/4", "233.252.0.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "198.19.0.0/16", "192.18.0.0/15", 
       "192.0.0.0/24", "10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12", 
       "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", 
       "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",
       "::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8")]
'''

min_endpoint_version = "8.16.0"
optional_actions = []
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.parent.entity_id"
state = 0

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1059"
name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1059.006"
name = "Python"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/006/"



[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"
[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"

[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0011"
name = "Command and Control"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0011/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "8.16.0"

Stages and Predicates

Ordered sequence: each step below must occur in order within 15s, correlated by process.entity_id.

Stage 1: process

[process where event.type == "start" and event.action == "exec" and process.name like~ "python*" and process.args like~ "python*" and 
  process.args like ("/Users/Shared/*", "/tmp/*", "/private/var/tmp/*", "/var/tmp/*") and process.args_count <= 3 and 
  not (process.parent.name in ("zsh", "bash", "sh", "fish", "tcsh") and
        process.parent.command_line in ("-bash", "-zsh", "-sh", "-fish", "-tcsh") and
        process.parent.executable : ("/bin/zsh", "/bin/bash", "/bin/sh", "/opt/homebrew/*", "/usr/local/*") and
        process.code_signature.trusted == true) and
  not (process.parent.name in ("zsh", "bash", "sh") and process.parent.command_line : (
    "*/.claude/shell-snapshots/*",
    "*/.codex/shell_snapshots/*",
    "*/.cursor/shell-snapshots/*"))]

Stage 2: network

[network where event.type == "start" and
   not destination.domain : ("dl.google.com", "*.cloud.es.io", "*.elastic-cloud.com", "elastic.co", "www.elastic.co") and
   not cidrmatch(destination.ip, 
       "240.0.0.0/4", "233.252.0.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "198.19.0.0/16", "192.18.0.0/15", 
       "192.0.0.0/24", "10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12", 
       "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", 
       "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",
       "::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8")]

Exclusions

The rule actively suppresses these predicates.

FieldKindExcluded valuesSearch
process.code_signature.trustedeqtrueexcludes:process.code_signature.trusted field:"process.code_signature.trusted" value:"true"
process.parent.command_linein-bash, -fish, -sh, -tcsh, -zshexcludes:process.parent.command_line
process.parent.executablewildcard/bin/zsh, /bin/bash, /bin/sh, /opt/homebrew/*, /usr/local/*excludes:process.parent.executable
process.parent.nameinbash, fish, sh, tcsh, zshexcludes:process.parent.name
process.parent.command_linematch/.claude/shell-snapshots/, /.codex/shell_snapshots/, /.cursor/shell-snapshots/excludes:process.parent.command_line field:"process.parent.command_line" value:"/.claude/shell-snapshots/" field:"process.parent.command_line" value:"/.codex/shell_snapshots/" field:"process.parent.command_line" value:"/.cursor/shell-snapshots/"
process.parent.nameinbash, sh, zshexcludes:process.parent.name field:"process.parent.name" value:"bash" field:"process.parent.name" value:"sh" field:"process.parent.name" value:"zsh"
destination.domainwildcarddl.google.com, *.cloud.es.io, *.elastic-cloud.com, elastic.co, www.elastic.coexcludes:destination.domain
destination.ipcidr_match240.0.0.0/4, 233.252.0.0/24, 224.0.0.0/4, 198.19.0.0/16, 192.18.0.0/15, 192.0.0.0/24, 10.0.0.0/8, 127.0.0.0/8, 169.254.0.0/16, 172.16.0.0/12, 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, 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, ::1, FE80::/10, FF00::/8excludes:destination.ip

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.