LightSpy macOS Implant PID File Creation in Users Shared

ATT&CK techniques

C2

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
- T1071.001Web Protocols
- T1105Ingress Tool Transfer
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of the file irc.pid under the Users Shared directory, a fixed artifact written by the macOS variant of the LightSpy surveillance implant to track its running instance. Huntress recovered this PID file alongside plugin fetching and WebSocket command-and-control. The specific path and filename are a reliable host indicator of the implant executing on macOS.

Reporting behind it

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LightSpy macOS Implant PID File Creation in Users Shared

Pivot detection · T1105 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

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