Linux Auditd Hidden Files And Directories Creation

name: Linux Auditd Hidden Files And Directories Creation
id: 555cc358-bf16-4e05-9b3a-0f89c73b7261
version: 11
creation_date: '2024-08-12'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects suspicious creation of hidden files and directories, which may indicate an attacker's attempt to conceal malicious activities or unauthorized data. Hidden files and directories are often used to evade detection by security tools and administrators, providing a stealthy means for storing malware, logs, or sensitive information. By monitoring for unusual or unauthorized creation of hidden files and directories, this analytic helps identify potential attempts to hide or unauthorized creation of hidden files and directories, this analytic helps identify potential attempts to hide malicious operations, enabling security teams to uncover and address hidden threats effectively.
data_source:
    - Linux Auditd Execve
search: |-
    `linux_auditd` execve_command IN ("*touch *", "*mkdir *", "*vim *", "*vi *", "*nano *") AND execve_command IN ("* ./.*", "* .*", "*/.*")
      | rename host as dest
      | rename comm as process_name
      | rename exe as process
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY argc execve_command dest
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `linux_auditd_hidden_files_and_directories_creation_filter`
how_to_implement: To implement this detection, the process begins by ingesting auditd data, that consists of SYSCALL, TYPE, EXECVE and PROCTITLE events, which captures command-line executions and process details on Unix/Linux systems. These logs should be ingested and processed using Splunk Add-on for Unix and Linux (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/833), which is essential for correctly parsing and categorizing the data. The next step involves normalizing the field names  to match the field names set by the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to ensure consistency across different data sources and enhance the efficiency of data modeling. This approach enables effective monitoring and detection of linux endpoints where auditd is deployed
known_false_positives: Administrator or network operator can use this application for automation purposes. Please update the filter macros to remove false positives.
references:
    - https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/security/deep-dive-on-persistence-privilege-escalation-technique-and-detection-in-linux-platform.html
    - https://github.com/peass-ng/PEASS-ng/tree/master/linPEAS
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
          message: A [$execve_command$] event occurred on host - [$dest$].
analytic_story:
    - Linux Living Off The Land
    - Linux Privilege Escalation
    - Linux Persistence Techniques
    - Compromised Linux Host
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1083
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint