kevmap

TechniquesT1678 › AN1049

AN1049 Analytic 1049

Linux · attack.mitre.org · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2

<p>Shell scripts or binaries invoking repeated 'sleep', 'ping', or low-level syscalls (e.g., nanosleep) in short-lived execution chains with no user or system interaction. Frequently seen in malicious cron jobs or payload stagers.</p>
Detects
T1678 Delay Execution
Part of
DET0372 Multi-Platform Detection Strategy for T1678 - Delay Execution

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 sourceChannelData component
auditd:SYSCALLexecve or nanosleep with no stdout/stderr I/ODC0032 Process Creation
auditd:PROCTITLEscripting loop invoking sleep/pingDC0029 Script Execution

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.

FieldDescription
CommandLineRegexEnvironment-specific delay scripts may vary (sleep 300, ping -n 60, etc.).
TimeBetweenSyscallsThreshold for determining if delay is artificially extended.
UserContextRoot vs. service user context alters risk profile.