Malicious Auto-Color Backdoor Self-Copy on Linux (via process_creation)

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
linux
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-05-25
Updated
2026-08-28

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Cred Access

  8. Discovery

  9. Lateral Movement

  10. Collection

  11. C2

  12. Exfiltration

  13. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects references to the /var/log/cross/auto-color path where the Auto-Color Linux backdoor copies itself for persistence while masquerading inside a log directory. Placing an executable under /var/log is an evasive persistence technique meant to avoid scrutiny of typical binary locations.

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