macOS: Disable Security Tools via launchctl unload or spctl disable

Detects macOS attempts to impair security by unloading known security agent plists via launchctl or disabling Gatekeeper with spctl.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v2

Product: macos
Category: process_creation
Author: Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2026-07-31

Analysis Detection

ATT&CK techniques

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags macOS process activity where security-related services are being disabled or unloaded. It matches launchctl invocations containing 'unload' alongside command lines referencing specific security tool-related plist identifiers, and it also matches spctl command lines containing 'disable'. Attackers may impair host security by stopping endpoint and monitoring components, and the detection relies on process creation telemetry capturing Image and CommandLine fields on macOS.

Reporting behind it

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macOS: Disable Security Tools via launchctl unload or spctl disable

Pivot detection · T1685 · 9 related

Changelog

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

macos-unloading-security-agents-via-launchctl-or-disabling-gatekeeper-ff39f1a6

title: "macOS: Disable Security Tools via launchctl unload or spctl disable"
id: 18eb0b8b-7453-4f4e-9a88-a8b0ae3141ff
status: test
description: This rule flags macOS process activity where security-related services are being disabled or unloaded. It matches launchctl invocations containing 'unload' alongside command lines referencing specific security tool-related plist identifiers, and it also matches spctl command lines containing 'disable'. Attackers may impair host security by stopping endpoint and monitoring components, and the detection relies on process creation telemetry capturing Image and CommandLine fields on macOS.
references:
  - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1562.001/T1562.001.md
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/macos/process_creation/proc_creation_macos_disable_security_tools.yml
author: Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community, Huntrule Team
date: 2020-10-19
modified: 2021-11-27
tags:
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1685
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: macos
detection:
  launchctl_unload:
    Image: /bin/launchctl
    CommandLine|contains: unload
  security_plists:
    CommandLine|contains:
      - com.objective-see.lulu.plist
      - com.objective-see.blockblock.plist
      - com.google.santad.plist
      - com.carbonblack.defense.daemon.plist
      - com.carbonblack.daemon.plist
      - at.obdev.littlesnitchd.plist
      - com.tenablesecurity.nessusagent.plist
      - com.opendns.osx.RoamingClientConfigUpdater.plist
      - com.crowdstrike.falcond.plist
      - com.crowdstrike.userdaemon.plist
      - osquery
      - filebeat
      - auditbeat
      - packetbeat
      - td-agent
  disable_gatekeeper:
    Image: /usr/sbin/spctl
    CommandLine|contains: disable
  condition: (launchctl_unload and security_plists) or disable_gatekeeper
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate activities
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: ff39f1a6-84ac-476f-a1af-37fcdf53d7c0
    type: derived

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