Linux Add User Account

 Original Source: [splunk source]
Name:Linux Add User Account
id:51fbcaf2-6259-11ec-b0f3-acde48001122
version:10
date:None
author:Teoderick Contreras, Bhavin Patel, Splunk
status:production
type:Hunting
Description:The following analytic detects the creation of new user accounts on Linux systems using commands like "useradd" or "adduser." It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names and command-line executions. This activity is significant as adversaries often create new user accounts to establish persistence on compromised hosts. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain access, escalate privileges, and further compromise the system, posing a severe security risk.
Data_source:
  • -Sysmon for Linux EventID 1
  • -Cisco Isovalent Process Exec
search:| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
WHERE Processes.process_name IN ("useradd", "adduser")
OR
Processes.process IN ("*useradd *", "*adduser *")
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_add_user_account_filter`


how_to_implement:The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives:Administrator or network operator can execute this command. Please update the filter macros to remove false positives.
References:
  -https://linuxize.com/post/how-to-create-users-in-linux-using-the-useradd-command/
drilldown_searches:
  :
analytic_story:['Linux Privilege Escalation', 'Linux Persistence Techniques', 'Cisco Isovalent Suspicious Activity']

asset_type:Endpoint

mitre_attack_id:['T1136.001']

product:['Splunk Enterprise', 'Splunk Enterprise Security', 'Splunk Cloud']

category:endpoint

security_domain:endpoint

tags:

tests:
 name:'True Positive Test'
 attack_data:
  data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1548.003/linux_adduser/sysmon_linux.log
  source: Syslog:Linux-Sysmon/Operational
  sourcetype: sysmon:linux
 test_type:'unit'
 name:'True Positive Test - Cisco Isovalent'
 attack_data:
  data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/cisco_isovalent/cisco_isovalent.log
  source: not_applicable
  sourcetype: cisco:isovalent:processExec
 test_type:'unit'
manual_test:None