T1543.001: Launch Agent
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1543.001 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Persistence, Privilege Escalation |
| Associated CAPEC Patterns | Run Software at Logon (CAPEC-564) |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may create or modify launch agents to repeatedly execute malicious payloads as part of persistence. When a user logs in, a per-user launchd process is started which loads the parameters for each launch-on-demand user agent from the property list (.plist) file found in /System/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents, and ~/Library/LaunchAgents.(Citation: AppleDocs Launch Agent Daemons)(Citation: OSX Keydnap malware) (Citation: Antiquated Mac Malware) Property list files use the Label, ProgramArguments , and RunAtLoad keys to identify the Launch Agent's name, executable location, and execution time.(Citation: OSX.Dok Malware) Launch Agents are often installed to perform updates to programs, launch user specified programs at login, or to conduct other developer tasks.
Launch Agents can also be executed using the Launchctl command.
Adversaries may install a new Launch Agent that executes at login by placing a .plist file into the appropriate folders with the RunAtLoad or KeepAlive keys set to true.(Citation: Sofacy Komplex Trojan)(Citation: Methods of Mac Malware Persistence) The Launch Agent name may be disguised by using a name from the related operating system or benign software. Launch Agents are created with user level privileges and execute with user level permissions.(Citation: OSX Malware Detection)(Citation: OceanLotus for OS X)
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Cyber Threat Graph Context
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Mitigations for this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Mitigations
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MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
Service Modification (Service)
Changes made to a service/daemon, such as changes to name, description, and/or start type (ex: Windows EID 7040 or /var/log daemon logs)File Modification (File)
Changes made to a file, or its access permissions and attributes, typically to alter the contents of the targeted file (ex: Windows EID 4670 or Sysmon EID 2)Command Execution (Command)
The execution of a line of text, potentially with arguments, created from program code (e.g. a cmdlet executed via powershell.exe, interactive commands like >dir, shell executions, etc. )File Creation (File)
Initial construction of a new file (ex: Sysmon EID 11)Service Creation (Service)
Initial construction of a new service/daemon (ex: Windows EID 4697 or /var/log daemon logs)Control Validation Tests for this Technique
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Sigma Detections for this Technique
SP800-53 Controls
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