Detection of Local Browser Artifact Access for Reconnaissance

ID: DET0013
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0037, AN0038, AN0039
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0037

Access to browser artifact locations (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Firefox) by processes like PowerShell, cmd.exe, or unknown tools, followed by file reads, decoding, or export operations indicating enumeration of bookmarks, autofill, or history databases.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1
File Creation (DC0039) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=11
Command Execution (DC0064) WinEventLog:PowerShell EventCode=4104
Mutable Elements
Field Description
TargetPathRegex Location of browser data folders like %APPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data or %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox
ParentProcess Used to exclude known browser maintenance or backup processes
ScriptBlockPattern Used to detect suspicious PowerShell commands targeting browser data

AN0038

Unauthorized shell or script-based access to browser config or SQLite history files, typically in ~/.config/google-chrome/, ~/.mozilla/, or ~/.var/app folders, indicating enumeration of bookmarks or saved credentials.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
File Access (DC0055) auditd:SYSCALL open, read, or stat of browser config files
Command Execution (DC0064) linux:syslog Suspicious script or command execution targeting browser folders
Mutable Elements
Field Description
BrowserProfilePath User-specific browser data folders, e.g., ~/.config/chromium/Default/History
ShellRegex Shell pattern detecting suspicious access to .sqlite or .json files

AN0039

Scripting or CLI tool access to ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome or ~/Library/Safari bookmarks, cookies, or history databases. Detection relies on unexpected processes accessing or reading from these locations.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
File Access (DC0055) macos:unifiedlog Access to ~/Library/*/Safari or Chrome directories by non-browser processes
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:osquery process reading browser configuration paths
Mutable Elements
Field Description
BrowserDBPath System-specific paths to browser databases in user Library folders
NonBrowserProcessList Processes not expected to touch browser DBs (e.g., curl, bash, python)