Pluggable Authentication Module or Configuration Creation
This rule monitors for the creation of Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) shared object files or configuration files. Attackers may create these files to maintain persistence on a compromised system, or harvest…
Description
This rule monitors for the creation of Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) shared object files or configuration files. Attackers may create these files to maintain persistence on a compromised system, or harvest account credentials.
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
- ContainersIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
Known benign triggers
- Trusted system module updates or allowed Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) daemon configuration changes.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| 0x90909090.blogspot.com/2016/06/creating-backdoor-in-pam-in-5-line-of.html | 4 |
| github.com/eurialo/pambd | 4 |
| github.com/zephrax/linux-pam-backdoor | 4 |
| www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/19/i/skidmap-linux-malware-uses-rootkit-capabilities-to-hide-cryptocurrency-mining-payload.html | 4 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- f48ecc44-7d02-437d-9562-b838d2c41987
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Elastic DefendDomain: EndpointNoise: MediumOS: LinuxPerformance: NormalPlatform: LinuxResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: Event Correlation (EQL)Tactic: Credential AccessTactic: PersistenceUse Case: Threat Detection
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3