Linux Auditd Clipboard Data Copy

name: Linux Auditd Clipboard Data Copy
id: 9ddfe470-c4d0-4e60-8668-7337bd699edd
version: 7
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects the use of the Linux 'xclip' command to copy data from the clipboard. It leverages Linux Auditd telemetry, focusing on process names and command-line arguments related to clipboard operations. This activity is significant because adversaries can exploit clipboard data to capture sensitive information such as passwords or IP addresses. If confirmed malicious, this technique could lead to unauthorized data exfiltration, compromising sensitive information and potentially aiding further attacks within the environment.
data_source:
    - Linux Auditd Execve
search: |-
    `linux_auditd` execve_command IN ("*xclip*", "*clipboard*") AND execve_command IN ("*-o*", "*-selection *", "*-sel *" )
      | rename host as dest
      | rename comm as process_name
      | rename exe as process
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY argc execve_command dest
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `linux_auditd_clipboard_data_copy_filter`
how_to_implement: To implement this detection, the process begins by ingesting auditd data, that consists of SYSCALL, TYPE, EXECVE and PROCTITLE events, which captures command-line executions and process details on Unix/Linux systems. These logs should be ingested and processed using Splunk Add-on for Unix and Linux (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/833), which is essential for correctly parsing and categorizing the data. The next step involves normalizing the field names  to match the field names set by the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to ensure consistency across different data sources and enhance the efficiency of data modeling. This approach enables effective monitoring and detection of linux endpoints where auditd is deployed
known_false_positives: False positives may be present on Linux desktop as it may commonly be used by administrators or end users. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1115/
    - https://linux.die.net/man/1/xclip
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
rba:
    message: A [$execve_command$] event occurred on host - [$dest$] to copy data from the clipboard.
    risk_objects:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Linux Living Off The Land
        - Compromised Linux Host
    asset_type: Endpoint
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1115
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1115/linux_auditd_xclip/linux_auditd_xclip2.log
          source: auditd
          sourcetype: auditd