Python Script Execution via Command Line

 1[metadata]
 2creation_date = "2021/01/13"
 3integration = ["endpoint"]
 4maturity = "development"
 5min_stack_comments = "New fields added: required_fields, related_integrations, setup"
 6min_stack_version = "8.3.0"
 7updated_date = "2023/10/19"
 8
 9[rule]
10author = ["Elastic"]
11description = """
12Identifies when a Python script is executed using command line input and imports the sys module. Attackers often use
13this method to execute malicious scripts and avoiding writing it to disk.
14"""
15false_positives = ["Legitimate Python scripting activity."]
16from = "now-9m"
17index = ["auditbeat-*", "logs-endpoint.events.*"]
18language = "eql"
19license = "Elastic License v2"
20name = "Python Script Execution via Command Line"
21risk_score = 47
22rule_id = "ee9f08dc-cf80-4124-94ae-08c405f059ae"
23setup = """## Setup
24
25If enabling an EQL rule on a non-elastic-agent index (such as beats) for versions <8.2,
26events will not define `event.ingested` and default fallback for EQL rules was not added until version 8.2.
27Hence for this rule to work effectively, users will need to add a custom ingest pipeline to populate
28`event.ingested` to @timestamp.
29For more details on adding a custom ingest pipeline refer - https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/fleet/current/data-streams-pipeline-tutorial.html
30"""
31severity = "medium"
32tags = ["Domain: Endpoint", "OS: Linux", "OS: macOS", "OS: Windows", "Use Case: Threat Detection", "Tactic: Execution", "Data Source: Elastic Defend"]
33timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
34type = "eql"
35
36query = '''
37process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and
38 process.name : "python*" and process.args : "-c" and process.args : "*import*sys*"
39'''
40
41
42[[rule.threat]]
43framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
44[[rule.threat.technique]]
45id = "T1059"
46name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
47reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"
48[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
49id = "T1059.006"
50name = "Python"
51reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/006/"
52[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
53id = "T1059.003"
54name = "Windows Command Shell"
55reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/003/"
56
57
58
59[rule.threat.tactic]
60id = "TA0002"
61name = "Execution"
62reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"