System Owner or User Discovery - Linux — Sigma Rule

Rule metadata and linked tags

Author: Timur Zinniatullin, oscd.community. Source status: test; severity: low. Source dates: 2019-10-21 / 2025-06-04.

{
  "product": "linux",
  "service": "auditd"
}

Pinned original Sigma rule · Detection Rule License 1.1

Source SHA-256: 6a7f81c3aa7dee9a7e155720be3439a927011c2f78922ca0f3245c6bc9ab9f13

Detection logic

Original source YAML. Source-tag agreement is not proof of complete semantic coverage. This rule has not been compiled for a SIEM backend or validated against live telemetry here.

title: System Owner or User Discovery - Linux
id: 9a0d8ca0-2385-4020-b6c6-cb6153ca56f3
status: test
description: |
    Detects the execution of host or user discovery utilities such as "whoami", "hostname", "id", etc.
    Adversaries may use the information from System Owner/User Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not the adversary fully infects the target and/or attempts specific actions.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1033/T1033.md
author: Timur Zinniatullin, oscd.community
date: 2019-10-21
modified: 2025-06-04
tags:
    - attack.discovery
    - attack.t1033
logsource:
    product: linux
    service: auditd
detection:
    selection:
        type: 'EXECVE'
        a0:
            - 'hostname'
            - 'id'
            - 'last'
            - 'uname'
            - 'users'
            - 'w'
            - 'who'
            - 'whoami'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Admin activity
level: low

Original YAML and metadata in JSON

False positives

• Admin activity

Source references

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1033/T1033.md