Suspicious macOS Quarantine Attribute Removal via xattr (via process_creation)
- Product
- macos
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-06-02
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Defense EvasionRecon
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 xattr removing the com.apple.quarantine attribute from a file. Stripping this attribute clears the download provenance that triggers Gatekeeper checks allowing a downloaded payload to launch without warning. Attackers use this to make internet-sourced binaries appear locally trusted.
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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