splApache-2.0from splunk/security_content

Linux AWK Privilege Escalation

The following analytic detects the use of the AWK command with elevated privileges to execute system commands. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, specifically monitoring processes that include "sudo," "awk," and "BEGIN*system" in their command lines. This activity is significant because it indicates a potential privilege escalation attempt, where a user could gain root access by executing commands as the root user. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to fully compromise the system, execute arbitrary commands, and maintain persistent control over the affected endpoint.

Quality

FP risk

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Rule sourcedetections/endpoint/linux_awk_privilege_escalation.yml

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
  WHERE Processes.process="*sudo*"
    AND
    Processes.process="*awk*"
    AND
    Processes.process="*BEGIN*system*"
  BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name
     Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid
     Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
     Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
     Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
     Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
     Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `linux_awk_privilege_escalation_filter`