Suspicious Execution of PUA - TruffleHog - Linux (via process_creation)
This rule detects execution of TruffleHog, a tool used to search for secrets in different platforms like Git, Jira, Slack, SharePoint, etc. that could be used maliciously. While it is a legitimate tool, intended for use in CI pipelines and security assessments, It was observed in the Shai-Hulud malware campaign targeting npm packages to steal sensitive information.
SigmamediumLinuxv1
sigma
suspicious-execution-of-pua-trufflehog-linux-via-process-creation
title: Suspicious Execution of PUA - TruffleHog - Linux (via process_creation)
id: 9cd4cdc7-772b-510f-8893-f2f90a66bee4
status: stable
description: This rule detects execution of TruffleHog, a tool used to search for secrets in different platforms like Git, Jira, Slack, SharePoint, etc. that could be used maliciously. While it is a legitimate tool, intended for use in CI pipelines and security assessments, It was observed in the Shai-Hulud malware campaign targeting npm packages to steal sensitive information.
references:
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1552/001/
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1083/
- https://github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog
- https://www.getsafety.com/blog-posts/shai-hulud-npm-attack
author: Huntrule Team
date: 2026-05-03
tags:
- attack.discovery
- attack.credential-access
- attack.t1083
- attack.t1552.001
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: linux
detection:
selection_img:
Image|endswith: '/trufflehog'
selection_cli_platform:
CommandLine|contains:
- ' docker --image '
- ' Git '
- ' GitHub '
- ' Jira '
- ' Slack '
- ' Confluence '
- ' SharePoint '
- ' s3 '
- ' gcs '
selection_cli_verified:
CommandLine|contains: ' --results=verified'
condition: selection_img or all of selection_cli_*
falsepositives:
- Unknown
level: medium
Known false positives
- Unknown
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.