Kubeconfig File Creation or Modification

The kubeconfig file is a critical component in Kubernetes environments, containing configuration details for accessing and managing Kubernetes clusters. Attackers may attempt to get access to, create or modify kubeconfig files to gain unauthorized initial access to Kubernetes clusters or move laterally within the cluster.

Rule type: eql
Rule indices:

logs-endpoint.events.file*

Rule Severity: medium
Risk Score: 47
Runs every:
Searches indices from: now-9m
Maximum alerts per execution: ?
References:

Tags:

Domain: Endpoint
Domain: Container
OS: Linux
Use Case: Threat Detection
Tactic: Lateral Movement
Tactic: Defense Evasion
Tactic: Initial Access
Data Source: Elastic Defend

Version: ?
Rule authors:

Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Setup

This rule requires data coming in from Elastic Defend.

Elastic Defend Integration Setup

Elastic Defend is integrated into the Elastic Agent using Fleet. Upon configuration, the integration allows the Elastic Agent to monitor events on your host and send data to the Elastic Security app.

Prerequisite Requirements:

Fleet is required for Elastic Defend.
To configure Fleet Server refer to the documentation.

The following steps should be executed in order to add the Elastic Defend integration on a Linux System:

Go to the Kibana home page and click "Add integrations".
In the query bar, search for "Elastic Defend" and select the integration to see more details about it.
Click "Add Elastic Defend".
Configure the integration name and optionally add a description.
Select the type of environment you want to protect, either "Traditional Endpoints" or "Cloud Workloads".
Select a configuration preset. Each preset comes with different default settings for Elastic Agent, you can further customize these later by configuring the Elastic Defend integration policy. Helper guide.
We suggest selecting "Complete EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response)" as a configuration setting, that provides "All events; all preventions"
Enter a name for the agent policy in "New agent policy name". If other agent policies already exist, you can click the "Existing hosts" tab and select an existing policy instead.

For more details on Elastic Agent configuration settings, refer to the helper guide.

Click "Save and Continue".
To complete the integration, select "Add Elastic Agent to your hosts" and continue to the next section to install the Elastic Agent on your hosts. For more details on Elastic Defend refer to the helper guide.

Rule Query

		file where host.os.type == "linux" and event.type != "deletion" and file.path like (
  "/root/.kube/config",
  "/home/*/.kube/config",
  "/etc/kubernetes/admin.conf",
  "/etc/kubernetes/super-admin.conf",
  "/etc/kubernetes/kubelet.conf",
  "/etc/kubernetes/controller-manager.conf",
  "/etc/kubernetes/scheduler.conf",
  "/var/lib/*/kubeconfig"
) and not (
  process.name in ("kubeadm", "kubelet", "vcluster", "minikube") or
  (process.name == "sed" and file.Ext.original.name like "sed*")
)

	

Framework: MITRE ATT&CK

Tactic:
- Name: Lateral Movement
- Id: TA0008
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0008/
Technique:
- Name: Use Alternate Authentication Material
- Id: T1550
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1550/

Framework: MITRE ATT&CK

Tactic:
- Name: Defense Evasion
- Id: TA0005
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/
Technique:
- Name: Use Alternate Authentication Material
- Id: T1550
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1550/

Framework: MITRE ATT&CK

Tactic:
- Name: Initial Access
- Id: TA0001
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0001/
Technique:
- Name: Valid Accounts
- Id: T1078
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1078/