name: Linux AWK Privilege Escalation
id: 4510cae0-96a2-4840-9919-91d262db210a
version: 1
date: '2022-07-31'
author: Gowthamaraj Rajendran, Splunk
type: Anomaly
datamodel:
- Endpoint
description: Awk is mostly used for processing and scanning patterns. 
  It checks one or more files to determine whether any lines fit the specified patterns, 
  and if so, it does the appropriate action. If sudo right is given to AWK binary for the user, then the user 
  can run system commands as root and possibly get a root shell.
search: '| 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.dest Processes.user Processes.parent_process_name
  Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.parent_process_id
  Processes.process_guid | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`| `linux_awk_privilege_escalation_filter`'
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting
  logs with the process name, parent process, and command-line executions from your
  endpoints into the Endpoint datamodel. If you are using Sysmon, you can use the Add-on for Linux Sysmon from
  Splunkbase.
known_false_positives: False positives are present based on automated tooling or system administrative usage. Filter as needed.
references:
- https://www.hacknos.com/awk-privilege-escalation/
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Linux Privilege Escalation
  - Linux Living Off The Land
  asset_type: Endpoint
  cis20:
  - CIS 3
  - CIS 5
  - CIS 16
  confidence: 50
  context:
  - Source:Endpoint
  - Stage:Privilege Escalation
  dataset:
  - https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1548/awk/sysmon_linux.log
  impact: 60
  kill_chain_phases:
  - Exploitation
  message: An instance of $parent_process_name$ spawning $process_name$ was identified on endpoint $dest$
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1548.003
  - T1548
  nist:
  - DE.CM
  observable:
  - name: dest
    type: Hostname
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: parent_process_name
    type: Process
    role:
    - Parent Process
  - name: process_name
    type: Process
    role:
    - Child Process
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  required_fields:
  - _time
  - Processes.dest
  - Processes.user
  - Processes.parent_process_name
  - Processes.process_name
  - Processes.process
  - Processes.process_id
  - Processes.parent_process_id
  risk_score: 30
  security_domain: endpoint