AWS RDS Log File Downloaded

Status: Experimental
Severity: low
Group by: awsRegion, recipientAccountId, requestParameters.dBInstanceIdentifier, requestParameters.logFileName
Log types: AWS.CloudTrail
Tags: AWS, Credential Access, Discovery, Credentials in Files, RDS
Reference: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_LogAccess.html
Source: github.com/panther-labs/panther-analysis

Detects when RDS database log files are downloaded. Log files may contain credentials, sensitive queries, or application secrets. Bulk downloads from unusual locations may indicate credential harvesting or data reconnaissance.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Credential Access	`T1552.001` Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files

Rule body yaml

AnalysisType: rule
Filename: aws_rds_log_file_downloaded.py
RuleID: "AWS.RDS.LogFileDownloaded"
DisplayName: "AWS RDS Log File Downloaded"
Enabled: true
Status: Experimental
LogTypes:
  - AWS.CloudTrail
Tags:
  - AWS
  - Credential Access
  - Discovery
  - Credentials in Files
  - RDS
Severity: Low
Description: >
  Detects when RDS database log files are downloaded. Log files may contain credentials,
  sensitive queries, or application secrets. Bulk downloads from unusual locations may
  indicate credential harvesting or data reconnaissance.
Runbook: |
  1. Find all log file download events by the user ARN in the past 6 hours to identify bulk download patterns
  2. Check if the source IP address matches the user's normal access patterns from the past 30 days
  3. Look for database access or modification events from this user in the 48 hours before the log download
Reference: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_LogAccess.html
Reports:
  MITRE ATT&CK:
    - TA0006:T1552.001  # Credentials in Files
DedupPeriodMinutes: 60
SummaryAttributes:
  - eventName
  - userIdentity:principalId
  - requestParameters:dBInstanceIdentifier
  - requestParameters:logFileName
  - sourceIPAddress
  - p_any_aws_account_ids
Threshold: 1
Tests:
  - Name: Error Log Downloaded
    ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      userIdentity:
        type: AssumedRole
        principalId: "AIDAI23HXS3EXAMPLE:dba"
        arn: "arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/DBARole/dba"
        accountId: "123456789012"
        accessKeyId: "ASIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE"
      eventTime: "2024-01-18T06:15:00Z"
      eventSource: rds.amazonaws.com
      eventName: DownloadDBLogFilePortion
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      sourceIPAddress: "10.0.1.100"
      userAgent: "aws-cli/2.13.0"
      requestParameters:
        dBInstanceIdentifier: "production-mysql"
        logFileName: "error/mysql-error.log"
        numberOfLines: 1000
        marker: "0"
      responseElements:
        logFileData: "[REDACTED]"
        marker: "1000"
        additionalDataPending: true
      requestID: "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
      eventID: "f1e2d3c4-b5a6-7890-1234-567890abcdef"
      readOnly: true
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      managementEvent: true
      recipientAccountId: "123456789012"
      eventCategory: Management

  - Name: Audit Log Downloaded from External IP
    ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      userIdentity:
        type: IAMUser
        principalId: "AIDAI23HXS3EXAMPLE"
        arn: "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/contractor"
        accountId: "123456789012"
        accessKeyId: "AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE"
        userName: contractor
      eventTime: "2024-01-18T06:15:00Z"
      eventSource: rds.amazonaws.com
      eventName: DownloadDBLogFilePortion
      awsRegion: us-west-2
      sourceIPAddress: "198.51.100.200"
      userAgent: "Boto3/1.26.0"
      requestParameters:
        dBInstanceIdentifier: "customer-database"
        logFileName: "audit/server_audit.log"
        numberOfLines: 5000
      responseElements:
        logFileData: "[REDACTED]"
        marker: "5000"
        additionalDataPending: false
      requestID: "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f1234567890a"
      eventID: "g2f3e4d5-c6b7-8901-2345-678901bcdefg"
      readOnly: true
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      managementEvent: true
      recipientAccountId: "123456789012"
      eventCategory: Management

  - Name: Download Failed
    ExpectedResult: false
    Log:
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      userIdentity:
        type: IAMUser
        principalId: "AIDAI23HXS3EXAMPLE"
        arn: "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/developer"
        accountId: "123456789012"
        accessKeyId: "AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE"
        userName: developer
      eventTime: "2024-01-18T06:15:00Z"
      eventSource: rds.amazonaws.com
      eventName: DownloadDBLogFilePortion
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      sourceIPAddress: "10.0.2.100"
      userAgent: "aws-cli/2.13.0"
      requestParameters:
        dBInstanceIdentifier: "production-db"
        logFileName: "error/mysql-error.log"
      errorCode: AccessDenied
      errorMessage: "User is not authorized to perform: rds:DownloadDBLogFilePortion"
      requestID: "c3d4e5f6-a7b8-9012-cdef-1234567890ab"
      eventID: "h3g4f5e6-d7c8-9012-3456-789012cdefgh"
      readOnly: true
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      managementEvent: true
      recipientAccountId: "123456789012"
      eventCategory: Management

  - Name: Different RDS Event
    ExpectedResult: false
    Log:
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      userIdentity:
        type: AssumedRole
        principalId: "AIDAI23HXS3EXAMPLE:user"
        arn: "arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/Admin/user"
        accountId: "123456789012"
      eventTime: "2024-01-18T06:15:00Z"
      eventSource: rds.amazonaws.com
      eventName: DescribeDBLogFiles
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      sourceIPAddress: "10.0.1.100"
      requestParameters:
        dBInstanceIdentifier: "production-db"
      requestID: "d4e5f6a7-b8c9-0123-def0-1234567890bc"
      eventID: "i4h5g6f7-e8d9-0123-4567-890123defghi"
      readOnly: true
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      managementEvent: true
      recipientAccountId: "123456789012"
      eventCategory: Management

Detection logic

Condition

eventSource eq "rds.amazonaws.com"
eventName eq "DownloadDBLogFilePortion"
errorCode is_null

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`errorCode`	is_null	(no value, null check)
`eventName`	eq	`DownloadDBLogFilePortion`
`eventSource`	eq	`rds.amazonaws.com`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`eventName`
`eventSource`
`awsRegion`
`recipientAccountId`
`sourceIPAddress`
`userAgent`
`userIdentity`
`logFileName`	`requestParameters.logFileName`
`dBInstanceIdentifier`	`requestParameters.dBInstanceIdentifier`
`userName`	`userIdentity.userName`

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`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
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`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)