Process Creation: curl on Linux

Flags Linux process starts for the curl binary, indicating potential remote file download or web requests.

FreeReviewedSigma · Low · v3
Product
linux
Category
process_creation
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-09-15
Updated
2026-07-31

ATT&CK techniques

C2
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. Exfiltration

  13. Impact

What it detects

Flags process creation events where the executed binary path ends with /curl on Linux. Attackers commonly use curl to retrieve remote content for payload staging or to perform basic web requests. The rule relies on Linux process creation telemetry that captures the executable image path.

Related detections9 linkedT1105 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious Remote Script Transfer via Bitsadmin (via process_creation)
Suspicious PowerShell Download Cradle via ClickFix Fake CAPTCHA (via process_creation)
Malicious Curl MSI Download to ProgramData via Process Creation
Suspicious CloudZ RAT Payload Download via curl to ProgramData
Suspicious Velociraptor Agent Deployment via msiexec From Cloud Storage
Suspicious PowerShell Download of lib.zip Archive
Suspicious File Download Via Bitsadmin Transfer
Suspicious PowerShell Download Of Text-Disguised Payload
Explorer WebDAV UNC Download Using At-Port Syntax
Process Creation: curl on Linux
Pivot detection · T1105 · 9 related

Changelog

v3
  1. v3
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  3. v1
    No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

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