Malicious macOS LaunchDaemon Persistence Masquerading as Finder Helper
- Product
- macos
- Category
- file_event
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-07-13
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Persistence → Priv EscRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects creation of a LaunchDaemon property list named com.finder.helper.plist, the persistence artifact dropped by the AMOS stealer masquerading as a legitimate Finder helper. Registering this plist establishes root-level persistence that survives reboots. The fake Finder helper label is a known AMOS masquerade and is not a genuine Apple daemon.
Reporting behind it
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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Also included
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