Detect Excessive or Unauthorized Bandwidth Usage for Botnet, Proxyjacking, or Scanning Purposes

Technique Detected:  Bandwidth Hijacking | T1496.002

ID: DET0028
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0080, AN0081, AN0082, AN0083, AN0084
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0080

Processes invoking network-intensive child processes or uploading large data volumes, often from non-standard user or system contexts, with evidence of long-duration TCP/UDP sessions to unusual destinations.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Network Connection Creation (DC0082) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1
Mutable Elements
Field Description
TimeWindow Bandwidth anomalies should be assessed over 5-15 min or hourly windows depending on environment size.
DestinationCountry Some organizations whitelist traffic to countries based on geolocation.
ProcessName Legitimate processes using high bandwidth (e.g., backup tools) must be excluded.

AN0081

User-initiated processes generating sustained outbound traffic over common or non-standard ports, often outside business hours, potentially linked to scanning or proxyjacking. Includes curl, wget, masscan, or proxy clients.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) auditd:SYSCALL execve calls with high-frequency or known bandwidth-intensive tools
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) NSM:Flow large outbound data flows or long-duration connections
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ToolPattern Can be tuned for specific bandwidth abuse tools (e.g., proxychains, 3proxy).
TrafficRateThreshold Baseline deviation thresholds must be environment-specific.

AN0082

Suspicious long-lived or high-throughput connections by non-Apple signed apps or processes not commonly associated with network uploads. Detect background processes using open sockets for data egress.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Network Traffic Content (DC0085) macos:unifiedlog process + network metrics correlation for bandwidth saturation
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:unifiedlog exec or spawn calls to proxy tools or torrent clients
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ProcessSignedStatus Non-signed or non-Apple signed binaries can raise confidence levels.
DataRateThreshold Observed data rate per process over time (e.g., MB/s).

AN0083

Containerized apps or sidecar containers generating excessive outbound traffic or being leveraged for proxy networks. Includes sudden increases in network interface stats, especially in dormant or low-util apps.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) containers:osquery bandwidth-intensive command execution from within a container namespace
Network Traffic Content (DC0085) docker:stats unusual network TX/RX byte deltas
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ContainerBaselineNetworkUsage Baseline per container must be defined by app purpose and normal traffic.
ImageName Certain image names or registries may be prone to abuse (e.g., public image hosting mining or proxyware).

AN0084

Virtual instances or workloads generating sustained outbound data rates, often to TOR, VPN, or proxy endpoints. Often coincides with unusual IAM usage or deployed scripts (e.g., cron jobs using proxy clients).

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Instance Start (DC0080) AWS:CloudTrail StartInstances
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) AWS:VPCFlowLogs egress > 90th percentile or frequent connection reuse
Mutable Elements
Field Description
InstanceType High-throughput instance types are more likely to be targeted for hijacking.
TrafficEgressThreshold Customize detection thresholds based on cloud provider quotas or billing alerts.