Event Triggered Execution: Linux Inotify Process Manipulating

Adversaries may establish persistence and/or elevate privileges using system mechanisms that trigger execution based on specific events. Various operating systems have means to monitor and subscribe to events such as logons or other user activity such as running specific applications/binaries.

Exfiltration via SMTP Network Evasion

Exfiltration via SMTP is a technique where attackers leverage the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to exfiltrate data. This method involves sending stolen data, such as sensitive files or system information, via email to an attacker-controlled email account. By using email traffic, attackers can often bypass traditional network monitoring solutions since SMTP traffic is usually deemed legitimate.

To execute …

XProtect Encryption Abuse Data Obfuscation

Malware can abuse Apple's macOS XProtect string encryption algorithm to hide critical strings, including commands, browser paths, extension IDs, cryptocurrency wallet locations, and command-and-control (C2) details.

This technique leverages the same XOR-based encryption logic implemented in macOS’s XProtect antivirus engine, this encryption is used for “encrypted YARA rules stored within the XProtect Remediator binaries”.

The encryption process involves …

Clearing Kernel Message Anti-Forensic

The dmesg -C command clears the kernel message buffer, which stores diagnostic messages generated by the kernel. These messages include logs about hardware interactions, system events, kernel module loads, and errors such as segmentation faults. The attacker can run this command to make sure that no trace of kernel-related activity, including any anomalies caused by exploitation, remains in the message …

Manipulating Debug Logs Anti-Forensic

Using the sed -i command, specific entries in debug logs, such as errors (segfault, SystemError) or trace information (e.g., filenames like main.cc), are surgically removed. This allows attackers to target only incriminating evidence without erasing the entire log file. The process preserves the structure and authenticity of the log while removing key evidence of exploitation or system errors.

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Deleting Troubleshoot Information and Core Dumps Anti-Forensic

Commands like rm -rf /data/var/statedumps/* and rm -rf /data/var/cores/* delete state dumps and core dumps, which are generated when processes crash. These files contain memory snapshots, stack traces, and runtime states of processes at the time of failure. They are often used to debug and understand the causes of crashes or application malfunctions.

Attackers use this technique to eliminate …

Removing Commands from SELinux Audit Logs Anti-Forensic

SELinux audit logs record all executed commands and policy enforcement actions, including commands like /bin/web, setenforce, mount, and /bin/rm. Using sed -i, attackers delete specific entries from these logs that could reveal the commands they executed. This manipulation ensures that traces of their activity, such as disabling security policies or deleting evidence, are erased from …

WMI Event Subscriptions Sandbox Evasion

Adversaries may leverage WMI event subscriptions to evade detection by triggering malicious actions only under specific conditions that are unlikely to occur in a sandboxed environment. For instance, a threat actor might configure an event subscription to monitor file system, network, or logon activity, ensuring that their second-stage payload is only downloaded and executed when a particular event suggests real …

File Splitting Antivirus/EDR Evasion

An old trick consists to split the malicious file into different parts and analyse all of them separately with and AV. The chunk where the detection is still being triggered is actually the part of the file that need to change to evade the antivirus software you are targeting.

GetLocalTime, GetSystemTime, timeGetTime, NtQueryPerformanceCounter Sandbox Evasion Anti-Debugging

When a debugger is present, and used to single-step through the code, there is a significant delay between the executions of the individual instructions, when compared to native execution.

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