Authorization Plugin Modification

Last updated 5 months ago on 2025-03-18

Created 5 years ago on 2021-01-13

About

Authorization plugins are used to extend the authorization services API and implement mechanisms that are not natively supported by the OS, such as multi-factor authentication with third party software. Adversaries may abuse this feature to persist and/or collect clear text credentials as they traverse the registered plugins during user logon.

Tags

Domain: EndpointOS: macOSUse Case: Threat DetectionTactic: PersistenceData Source: Elastic DefendLanguage: eql

Severity

medium

Risk Score

MITRE ATT&CK™

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

↳ Boot or Logon Autostart Execution (T1547)(opens in a new tab or window)

License

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

Definition

Rule Type: Event Correlation Rule
Integration Pack: Prebuilt Security Detection Rules
Index Patterns: logs-endpoint.events.*
Related Integrations: endpoint(opens in a new tab or window)
Query

file where host.os.type == "macos" and event.action == "modification" and
  file.path like "/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/*" and
  not file.path like ("/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/KandjiPassport.bundle/*", "/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle/*") and
  not process.name == "shove"

Install detection rules in Elastic Security

Detect Authorization Plugin Modification 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(opens in a new tab or window).