sigmalowHunting

Linux Setuid Capability Set on a Binary via Setcap Utility

Detects the use of the 'setcap' utility to set the 'setuid' capability (cap_setuid) on a binary file. This capability allows a non privileged process to make arbitrary manipulations of user IDs (UIDs), including setting its current UID to a value that would otherwise be restricted (i.e. UID 0, the root user). This behavior can be used by adversaries to backdoor a binary in order to escalate privileges again in the future if needed.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1548 T1554

privilege-escalationdefense-evasionpersistence

Detection Query

selection:
  Image|endswith: /setcap
  CommandLine|contains: cap_setuid
condition: selection

Author

Luc Génaux

Created

2026-01-24

Data Sources

linuxProcess Creation Events

Platforms

linux

References

Tags

attack.privilege-escalationattack.defense-evasionattack.persistenceattack.t1548attack.t1554

Raw Content

title: Linux Setuid Capability Set on a Binary via Setcap Utility
id: ed447910-bc30-4575-a598-3a2e49516a7a
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects the use of the 'setcap' utility to set the 'setuid' capability (cap_setuid) on a binary file.
    This capability allows a non privileged process to make arbitrary manipulations of user IDs (UIDs), including setting its current UID to a value that would otherwise be restricted (i.e. UID 0, the root user).
    This behavior can be used by adversaries to backdoor a binary in order to escalate privileges again in the future if needed.
references:
    - https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/setcap.8.html
    - https://dfir.ch/posts/linux_capabilities/
    - https://juggernaut-sec.com/capabilities/#cap_setuid
author: Luc Génaux
date: 2026-01-24
tags:
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.defense-evasion
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.t1548
    - attack.t1554
logsource:
    product: linux
    category: process_creation
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith: '/setcap'
        CommandLine|contains: 'cap_setuid'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: low