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GKE Pod Exec Potential Reverse Shell

Detects successful GKE pod exec sessions whose command resembles reverse-shell or bind-shell one-liner patterns, including /dev/tcp and /dev/udp redirection, netcat/ncat exec-style flags, socat shell handoff, mkfifo…

Description

Detects successful GKE pod exec sessions whose command resembles reverse-shell or bind-shell one-liner patterns, including /dev/tcp and /dev/udp redirection, netcat/ncat exec-style flags, socat shell handoff, mkfifo pipelines, and common language socket idioms. Legitimate debug sessions sometimes use similar building blocks, but together these patterns align with post-exploitation interactive access and command-and-control. Common localhost /dev/tcp health-check ports are excluded. GKE records the command in gcp.audit.labels.command.gke.io/command when an explicit command is passed to exec.

Detection logic

Its licence does not clear it for publishing here

Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.

Detection requirements

Platform
ContainersESXiIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 3 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.

Log source category
event_index

Known benign triggers

  • Security training, CTF-style images, or vendor diagnostics may include bash redirection or /dev/tcp examples. Baseline approved images then expand exclusions as needed.

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