Suspicious Linux PAM Module pam_unix Modification via file_event
- Product
- linux
- Category
- file_event
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-08-02
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Persistence → Cred AccessRecon
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 or modification of the pam_unix.so authentication module that malware replaces to log SSH passwords or accept a universal backdoor password. Unit 42 documented Linux malware tampering with pam_unix.so and related PAM shared objects to subvert authentication, so unexpected writes to this module warrant investigation.
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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