Techniques › T1569.001 › AN0736
AN0736 Analytic 0736
macOS · attack.mitre.org · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2
<p>Abuse of launchctl to execute or manage Launch Agents and Daemons. Defender perspective: correlation of suspicious plist file creation or modification in LaunchAgents/LaunchDaemons directories with subsequent execution of the launchctl command. Abnormal executable paths (e.g., /tmp, /Shared) or launchctl activity followed by network connections are highly suspicious.</p>
- Detects
- T1569.001 Launchctl
- Part of
- DET0265 Detection Strategy for System Services: Launchctl
Log sources and channels
Exactly as MITRE states them in x_mitre_log_source_references. Where a channel is vague, it is vague in the source; kevmap does not tidy it.
| Log source | Channel | Data component |
|---|---|---|
| macos:unifiedlog | execution of launchctl load/unload/start commands | DC0064 Command Execution |
| macos:unifiedlog | write of plist files in /Library/LaunchAgents or /Library/LaunchDaemons | DC0061 File Modification |
| macos:unifiedlog | launchctl spawning new processes | DC0032 Process Creation |
| macos:unifiedlog | creation or loading of new launchd services | DC0060 Service Creation |
Mutable elements
Parameters MITRE marks as environment-specific. These are the knobs you are expected to tune; they are why an analytic is not a rule.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
MonitoredPaths | Paths to monitor for suspicious plist files, such as /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons, ~/Library/LaunchAgents. |
SuspiciousExecPaths | Uncommon executable paths (e.g., /tmp, /Shared) that should raise alerts when associated with launchctl services. |
TimeWindow | Correlation window for detecting plist file creation and subsequent launchctl execution. |