T1543.002 - Create or Modify System Process: SysV/Systemd Service

Description from ATT&CK

Adversaries may create or modify systemd services to repeatedly execute malicious payloads as part of persistence. Systemd is a system and service manager commonly used for managing background daemon processes (also known as services) and other system resources.(Citation: Linux man-pages: systemd January 2014) Systemd is the default initialization (init) system on many Linux distributions replacing legacy init systems, including SysVinit and Upstart, while remaining backwards compatible. Systemd utilizes unit configuration files with the `.service` file extension to encode information about a service's process. By default, system level unit files are stored in the `/systemd/system` directory of the root owned directories (`/`). User level unit files are stored in the `/systemd/user` directories of the user owned directories (`$HOME`).(Citation: lambert systemd 2022) Inside the `.service` unit files, the following directives are used to execute commands:(Citation: freedesktop systemd.service) * `ExecStart`, `ExecStartPre`, and `ExecStartPost` directives execute when a service is started manually by `systemctl` or on system start if the service is set to automatically start. * `ExecReload` directive executes when a service restarts. * `ExecStop`, `ExecStopPre`, and `ExecStopPost` directives execute when a service is stopped. Adversaries have created new service files, altered the commands a `.service` file’s directive executes, and modified the user directive a `.service` file executes as, which could result in privilege escalation. Adversaries may also place symbolic links in these directories, enabling systemd to find these payloads regardless of where they reside on the filesystem.(Citation: Anomali Rocke March 2019)(Citation: airwalk backdoor unix systems)(Citation: Rapid7 Service Persistence 22JUNE2016) The .service file’s User directive can be used to run service as a specific user, which could result in privilege escalation based on specific user/group permissions.

Atomic Tests


Atomic Test #1 - Create Systemd Service

This test creates a Systemd service unit file and enables it as a service.

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: d9e4f24f-aa67-4c6e-bcbf-85622b697a7c

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | systemd_service_path | Path to systemd service unit file | path | /etc/systemd/system| | systemd_service_file | File name of systemd service unit file | string | art-systemd-service.service| | execstoppost_action | ExecStopPost action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execstoppost-marker| | execreload_action | ExecReload action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execreload-marker| | execstart_action | ExecStart action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execstart-marker| | execstop_action | ExecStop action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execstop-marker| | execstartpre_action | ExecStartPre action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execstartpre-marker| | execstartpost_action | ExecStartPost action for Systemd service | string | /bin/touch /tmp/art-systemd-execstartpost-marker|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
bash
!

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echo "[Unit]" > #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "Description=Atomic Red Team Systemd Service" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "[Service]" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "Type=simple"
echo "ExecStart=#{execstart_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "ExecStartPre=#{execstartpre_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "ExecStartPost=#{execstartpost_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "ExecReload=#{execreload_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "ExecStop=#{execstop_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "ExecStopPost=#{execstoppost_action}" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "[Install]" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
echo "WantedBy=default.target" >> #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable #{systemd_service_file}
systemctl start #{systemd_service_file}

Cleanup Commands:

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systemctl stop #{systemd_service_file}
systemctl disable #{systemd_service_file}
rm -rf #{systemd_service_path}/#{systemd_service_file}
systemctl daemon-reload



Atomic Test #2 - Create SysV Service

This test creates a SysV service unit file and enables it as a service.

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: 760fe8d2-79d9-494f-905e-a239a3df86f6

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | rc_service_path | Path to rc service file | path | /usr/local/etc/rc.d| | rc_service_file | File name of rc service file | string | art-test|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
sh
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echo '#\!/bin/sh' > #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo ' ' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '#' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '# PROVIDE: art-test' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '# REQUIRE: LOGIN' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '# KEYWORD: shutdown' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo ' ' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '. /etc/rc.subr' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo ' ' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'name="art_test"' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'rcvar=art_test_enable' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'load_rc_config ${name}' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'command="/usr/bin/touch"' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'start_cmd="art_test_start"' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo 'art_test_start()' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}     
echo '{' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '  ${command} /tmp/art-test.marker' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo '}' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
echo ' ' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}     
echo 'run_rc_command "$1"' >> #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
chmod +x #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}
service art-test enable
service art-test start

Cleanup Commands:

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sysrc -x art_test_enable
rm -f #{rc_service_path}/#{rc_service_file}



Atomic Test #3 - Create Systemd Service file, Enable the service , Modify and Reload the service.

This test creates a systemd service unit file and enables it to autostart on boot. Once service is created and enabled, it also modifies this same service file showcasing both Creation and Modification of system process.

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: c35ac4a8-19de-43af-b9f8-755da7e89c89

Attack Commands: Run with
1
bash
! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)

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cat > /etc/init.d/T1543.002 << EOF
#!/bin/bash
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides : Atomic Test T1543.002
# Required-Start: $all
# Required-Stop : 
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 
# Short Description: Atomic Test for Systemd Service Creation
### END INIT INFO
python3 -c "import os, base64;exec(base64.b64decode('aW1wb3J0IG9zCm9zLnBvcGVuKCdlY2hvIGF0b21pYyB0ZXN0IGZvciBDcmVhdGluZyBTeXN0ZW1kIFNlcnZpY2UgVDE1NDMuMDAyID4gL3RtcC9UMTU0My4wMDIuc3lzdGVtZC5zZXJ2aWNlLmNyZWF0aW9uJykK'))"
EOF

chmod +x /etc/init.d/T1543.002
if [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i ID=ubuntu) ] || [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i ID=kali) ]; then update-rc.d T1543.002 defaults; elif [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i 'ID="centos"') ]; then chkconfig T1543.002 on ; else echo "Please run this test on Ubnutu , kali OR centos" ; fi ;
systemctl enable T1543.002
systemctl start T1543.002

echo "python3 -c \"import os, base64;exec(base64.b64decode('aW1wb3J0IG9zCm9zLnBvcGVuKCdlY2hvIGF0b21pYyB0ZXN0IGZvciBtb2RpZnlpbmcgYSBTeXN0ZW1kIFNlcnZpY2UgVDE1NDMuMDAyID4gL3RtcC9UMTU0My4wMDIuc3lzdGVtZC5zZXJ2aWNlLm1vZGlmaWNhdGlvbicpCg=='))\"" | sudo tee -a /etc/init.d/T1543.002
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl restart T1543.002

Cleanup Commands:

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systemctl stop T1543.002
systemctl disable T1543.002
rm -rf /etc/init.d/T1543.002
systemctl daemon-reload

Dependencies: Run with
1
bash
!

Description: System must be Ubuntu ,Kali OR CentOS.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i ID=ubuntu) ] || [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i ID=kali) ] || [ $(cat /etc/os-release | grep -i 'ID="centos"') ]; then exit /b 0; else exit /b 1; fi;
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo Please run from Ubuntu ,Kali OR CentOS.