Linux Auditd Add User Account Type

Original Source: [splunk source]
Name:Linux Auditd Add User Account Type
id:f8c325ea-506e-4105-8ccf-da1492e90115
version:3
date:2024-09-30
author:Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status:production
type:Anomaly
Description:The following analytic detects the suspicious add user account type. This behavior is critical for a SOC to monitor because it may indicate attempts to gain unauthorized access or maintain control over a system. Such actions could be signs of malicious activity. If confirmed, this could lead to serious consequences, including a compromised system, unauthorized access to sensitive data, or even a wider breach affecting the entire network. Detecting and responding to these signs early is essential to prevent potential security incidents.
Data_source:
  • -Linux Auditd Add User
search:`linux_auditd` type=ADD_USER
| rename hostname as dest| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by exe pid dest res UID type
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`| `linux_auditd_add_user_account_type_filter`


how_to_implement:To implement this detection, the process begins by ingesting auditd data, that consist 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
drilldown_searches:
name:'View the detection results for - "$dest$"'
search:'%original_detection_search% | search dest = "$dest$"'
earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$'
latest_offset:'$info_max_time$'
name:'View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"'
search:'| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168 | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$'
latest_offset:'$info_max_time$'
tags:
  analytic_story:
    - 'Linux Living Off The Land'
    - 'Linux Privilege Escalation'
    - 'Linux Persistence Techniques'
    - 'Compromised Linux Host'
  asset_type:Endpoint
  confidence:50
  impact:50
  message:New [$type$] event on host - [$dest$] to add a user account type.
  mitre_attack_id:
    - 'T1136'
    - 'T1136.001'
  observable:
    name:'dest'
    type:'Hostname'
    - role:
      - 'Victim'
  product:
    - 'Splunk Enterprise'
    - 'Splunk Enterprise Security'
    - 'Splunk Cloud'
  required_fields:
    - '_time'
    - 'exe'
    - 'pid'
    - 'hostname'
    - 'res'
    - 'UID'
    - 'type'
  risk_score:25
  security_domain:endpoint

tests:
name:'True Positive Test'
 attack_data:
  data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1136.001/linux_auditd_add_user_type/linux_auditd_add_user_type.log
  source: /var/log/audit/audit.log
  sourcetype: linux:audit
manual_test:None