name: MacOS plutil
id: c11f2b57-92c1-4cd2-b46c-064eafb833ac
version: 2
date: '2022-05-26'
author: Patrick Bareiss, Splunk
type: TTP
datamodel:
- Endpoint
description: Detect usage of plutil to modify plist files. Adversaries can modiy plist files to executed binaries or add command line
  arguments. Plist files in auto-run locations are executed upon user logon or system startup.
search: '`osquery` name=es_process_events columns.path=/usr/bin/plutil
  | rename columns.* as *
  | stats count  min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by username host cmdline pid path parent signing_id
  | rename username as User, cmdline as process, path as process_path
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `macos_plutil_filter`'
how_to_implement: This detection uses osquery and endpoint security on MacOS.
  Follow the link in references, which describes how to setup process auditing in MacOS
  with endpoint security and osquery.
known_false_positives: Administrators using plutil to change plist files.
references:
- https://osquery.readthedocs.io/en/stable/deployment/process-auditing/
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Living Off The Land
  asset_type: Endpoint
  cis20:
  - CIS 3
  - CIS 5
  - CIS 16
  confidence: 50
  context:
  - Source:Endpoint
  - Stage:Execution
  dataset:
  - https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1647/atomic_red_team/osquery.log
  impact: 50
  kill_chain_phases:
  - Actions on Objectives
  message: plutil are executed on $host$ from $user$
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1647
  nist:
  - DE.CM
  observable:
  - name: user
    type: User
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: process
    type: Process
    role:
    - Child Process
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  required_fields:
  - _time
  - columns.cmdline
  - columns.pid
  - columns.parent
  - columns.path
  - columns.signing_id
  - columns.username
  - host
  risk_score: 25
  security_domain: endpoint