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Startup Item File Created - MacOS — Sigma Rule

Sigma rule dfe8b941-4e54-4242-b674-6b613d521962. Startup Item File Created - MacOS — Sigma Rule. Detects the creation of a startup item plist file, that automatically get executed at boot initialization to establish persistence. Adversaries may use startup items automatically executed at boot initialization to establish persistence. Startup items execute during the final phase of the boot process and contain shell scripts or other executable files along with configuration information used by the system to determine the execution order for all startup items.

Rule metadata and linked tags

Author: Alejandro Ortuno, oscd.community. Source status: test; severity: low. Source dates: 2020-10-14 / 2024-08-11.

{
  "category": "file_event",
  "product": "macos"
}

Pinned original Sigma rule · Detection Rule License 1.1

Source SHA-256: 5320c34abc7ffcd93d0092f8e6cd92025f6cf21e1ea80aa62ded774337d9df6c

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: Startup Item File Created - MacOS
id: dfe8b941-4e54-4242-b674-6b613d521962
status: test
description: |
    Detects the creation of a startup item plist file, that automatically get executed at boot initialization to establish persistence.
    Adversaries may use startup items automatically executed at boot initialization to establish persistence.
    Startup items execute during the final phase of the boot process and contain shell scripts or other executable files along with configuration information used by the system to determine the execution order for all startup items.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1037.005/T1037.005.md
    - https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/Chapters/StartupItems.html
author: Alejandro Ortuno, oscd.community
date: 2020-10-14
modified: 2024-08-11
tags:
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.t1037.005
logsource:
    category: file_event
    product: macos
detection:
    selection:
        TargetFilename|startswith:
            - '/Library/StartupItems/'
            - '/System/Library/StartupItems'
        TargetFilename|endswith: '.plist'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administration activities
level: low

Original YAML and metadata in JSON

False positives

  • Legitimate administration activities

Source references

Connected ecosystem references

Exact source-tagged techniques

Telemetry review

Read the original logsource above, then inspect the linked detection workspaces for technique-level sensor context. No per-rule telemetry equivalence is inferred.

Pinned research references. No browser attack runner, live simulation result or validated detector is asserted. Source mappings and validation limits are preserved. ATT&CK / Atomic provenance · Detection provenance.