Techniques
Sample rules
MacOS Kextload Usage
- source: splunk
- technicques:
- T1543
Description
Detects execution of the kextload command on macOS systems. The kextload utility is used to manually load kernel extensions (KEXTs) into the macOS kernel, which can introduce privileged code at the kernel level. While legitimate for driver installation and system administration, misuse may indicate attempts to install unauthorized, malicious, or persistence-enabling kernel extensions.
Detection logic
| tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
count min(_time) as firstTime
max(_time) as lastTime
from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where
Processes.process_name = "kextload"
AND NOT
Processes.process IN (
"*-help*",
"* -h *"
)
by Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process_id
Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id
Processes.process_current_directory Processes.process_name
Processes.process_path Processes.user
Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `macos_kextload_usage_filter`