SSH Key Generated via ssh-keygen

Last updated 9 months ago on 2025-03-20

Created 2 years ago on 2024-05-31

About

This rule identifies the creation of SSH keys using the ssh-keygen tool, which is the standard utility for generating SSH keys. Users often create SSH keys for authentication with remote services. However, threat actors can exploit this tool to move laterally across a network or maintain persistence by generating unauthorized SSH keys, granting them SSH access to systems.

Tags

Domain: EndpointOS: LinuxUse Case: Threat DetectionTactic: Lateral MovementTactic: PersistenceData Source: Elastic EndgameData Source: Elastic DefendData Source: SentinelOneLanguage: eql

Severity

low

Risk Score

MITRE ATT&CK™

Persistence (TA0003)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

↳ Account Manipulation (T1098)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Lateral Movement (TA0008)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

↳ Remote Services (T1021)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

↳ Remote Service Session Hijacking (T1563)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

License

Elastic License v2(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Definition

Rule Type

Event Correlation Rule

Integration Pack

Prebuilt Security Detection Rules

Index Patterns

logs-endpoint.events.file*endgame-*logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*

Related Integrations

endpoint(external, opens in a new tab or window)

sentinel_one_cloud_funnel(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Query

✄𐘗text code block:
✄𐘗file where host.os.type == "linux" and event.action in ("creation", "file_create_event") and
process.executable == "/usr/bin/ssh-keygen" and file.path : ("/home/*/.ssh/*", "/root/.ssh/*", "/etc/ssh/*") and
not file.name : "known_hosts.*"

Install detection rules in Elastic Security

Detect SSH Key Generated via ssh-keygen in the Elastic Security detection engine by installing this rule into your Elastic Stack.

To setup this rule, check out the installation guide for Prebuilt Security Detection Rules(external, opens in a new tab or window).