Techniques › T1543.004 › AN1126
AN1126 Analytic 1126
macOS · attack.mitre.org · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2
<p>Creation or modification of
.plist files in /Library/LaunchDaemons/, especially those with suspicious Program or ProgramArguments paths, combined with execution activity under launchd with elevated privileges. Detectable through correlated Unified Logs, file monitoring, and process telemetry.</p>- Detects
- T1543.004 Launch Daemon
- Part of
- DET0401 Detection Strategy for Launch Daemon Creation or Modification (macOS)
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 | launchd spawning processes tied to new or modified LaunchDaemon .plist entries | DC0032 Process Creation |
| fs:launchdaemons | file_create | DC0039 File Creation |
| fs:launchdaemons | file_modify | DC0061 File Modification |
| macos:unifiedlog | launchd loading new LaunchDaemon or changes to existing daemon configuration | 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 |
|---|---|
ProgramPathRegex | Regex patterns to match anomalous executable paths or names in .plist files |
TimeWindow | Correlation window between file modification and launchd process execution |
UserContext | Admin or root context used during daemon installation |
UnsignedBinaryFlag | Whether the binary associated with the LaunchDaemon is signed or trusted |