Techniques › T1564.014 › AN1136
AN1136 Analytic 1136
macOS · attack.mitre.org · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2
<p>Abuse of extended attributes (xattrs) to hide payloads in com.apple. or custom keys. Defender perspective: monitor suspicious use of xattr command with -w (write) and -p (print) flags, especially when followed by execution of interpreters like bash, Python, or osascript. Behavior chain includes: (1) suspicious file modification with new com.apple. attributes, (2) attribute content inconsistent with expected metadata tags (e.g., high entropy), (3) subsequent process execution correlated with extraction of the attribute.</p>
- Detects
- T1564.014 Extended Attributes
- Part of
- DET0406 Detection Strategy for Extended Attributes Abuse
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 | xattr utility execution with -w or -p flags | DC0064 Command Execution |
| macos:unifiedlog | extended attribute write or modification | DC0059 File Metadata |
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 |
|---|---|
WatchedXattrKeys | Specific xattr keys to monitor (e.g., com.apple.quarantine, com.apple.ResourceFork, unknown custom keys). |
EntropyThreshold | High entropy attribute values may indicate encoded or encrypted payloads. |
ProcessContext | Expected legitimate applications interacting with xattrs (Finder, Spotlight) to help reduce false positives. |