T1059.004 Unix Shell

Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution. Unix shells are the primary command prompt on Linux and macOS systems, though many variations of the Unix shell exist (e.g. sh, bash, zsh, etc.) depending on the specific OS or distribution.(Citation: DieNet Bash)(Citation: Apple ZShell) Unix shells can control every aspect of a system, with certain commands requiring elevated privileges.

Unix shells also support scripts that enable sequential execution of commands as well as other typical programming operations such as conditionals and loops. Common uses of shell scripts include long or repetitive tasks, or the need to run the same set of commands on multiple systems.

Adversaries may abuse Unix shells to execute various commands or payloads. Interactive shells may be accessed through command and control channels or during lateral movement such as with SSH. Adversaries may also leverage shell scripts to deliver and execute multiple commands on victims or as part of payloads used for persistence.

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GCP Mappings

Capability ID Capability Description Mapping Type ATT&CK ID ATT&CK Name Notes
security_command_center Security Command Center technique_scores T1059.004 Unix Shell
Comments
SCC uses machine learning [NLP techniques] to evaluate content of an executed bash script. This security solution protects against potentially malicious scripts that are used to execute commands in compromised systems. Because of the high threat detection coverage provided by the ML model and near-real time temporal factor this control was graded as significant.
References