huntrule

macOS Network Sniffing Tool Execution via tcpdump or tshark

Identifies macOS execution of tcpdump or tshark, indicating potential network traffic sniffing activity.

FreeReviewedSigma · Informational · v2
Product
macos
Category
process_creation
Author
Alejandro Ortuno, oscd.community (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2020-10-14
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Cred Access → Discovery

  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. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule identifies process creation on macOS where the executable path ends with /tcpdump or /tshark. These tools are commonly used to capture and inspect network traffic, which enables passive collection of data in transit. The detection relies on process creation telemetry including the executed image path.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1040 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious Windows Native Pktmon Sniffer Abuse (via process_creation)
Suspicious Windows Traffic Capture Abuse (via process_creation)
Malicious TCP Session Hijacking via rshijack
PowerShell Start-NetEventSession Script Block Execution Indicating Potential Network Capture (Windows)
Windows PktMon.exe Process Execution (pktmon.exe / PktMon.exe)
Windows Pcap Driver Installation via EID 4697 ServiceFileName
Windows Netsh.exe WLAN profile key clearing used for WiFi credential harvesting
Windows netsh Trace Start Command Execution
Windows Network Tool Use for Possible Packet Sniffing (tshark/windump)
macOS Network Sniffing Tool Execution via tcpdump or tshark
Pivot detection · T1040 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
  1. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. 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.