Resource Hijacking Detection Strategy

Technique Detected:  Resource Hijacking | T1496

ID: DET0267
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0741, AN0742, AN0743, AN0744, AN0745, AN0746
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0741

Persistent high CPU utilization combined with suspicious command-line execution (e.g., mining tools or obfuscated scripts) and outbound connections to mining/proxy networks.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1
Host Status (DC0018) Windows:perfmon High sustained CPU usage by a single process
Network Connection Creation (DC0082) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3
Mutable Elements
Field Description
TimeWindow Duration threshold for sustained CPU activity (e.g., >15 minutes)
DestinationIPList Known mining pool IPs or proxy service endpoints
ExecutableNamePatterns Regex list of suspicious or known mining tools

AN0742

Abnormal CPU/memory usage by unauthorized processes with outbound connections to known mining pools or using cron jobs/scripts to maintain persistence.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) auditd:SYSCALL execve
Host Status (DC0018) linux:procfs Sustained high /proc/[pid]/stat usage
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) NSM:Flow Outbound traffic to mining pools or proxies
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ProcessPath Location of resource-heavy binaries (e.g., /tmp/.xmr)
CPUThreshold Acceptable baseline for CPU overuse
KnownMiningDomains List of domains/IPs for known cryptomining services

AN0743

Background launch agents/daemons with high CPU use and network access to external mining services.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:unifiedlog launchctl activity and process creation
Network Traffic Content (DC0085) macos:unifiedlog Persistent outbound traffic to mining domains
Mutable Elements
Field Description
launchdLabel Suspicious or unknown launch agents
TrafficVolumeThreshold Outbound bandwidth usage thresholds

AN0744

Sudden spikes in cloud VM CPU usage with outbound traffic to mining pools and unauthorized instance creation.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Instance Start (DC0080) AWS:CloudTrail RunInstances
Host Status (DC0018) CloudWatch:Metrics Sustained EC2 CPU usage above normal baseline
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) AWS:VPCFlowLogs Outbound flow logs to known mining pools
Mutable Elements
Field Description
CPUUtilizationThreshold CloudWatch alarm trigger for sustained CPU
UnusualRegionList Instances launched in unexpected regions

AN0745

High CPU usage by unauthorized containers running mining binaries or public proxy tools.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) containerd:events New container with suspicious image name or high resource usage
Host Status (DC0018) prometheus:metrics Container CPU/Memory usage exceeding threshold
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) container:cni Outbound network traffic to mining proxies
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ImageName Suspicious or unknown container image used
CPUQuotaThreshold Container-level resource limits

AN0746

Abuse of cloud messaging platforms to send mass spam or consume quota-based resources.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Cloud Service Modification (DC0069) m365:unified SendMessage
Application Log Content (DC0038) saas:application High-volume API calls or traffic via messaging or webhook service
Mutable Elements
Field Description
MessageRateThreshold Max allowable outbound message rate per user/account
APIKeyList Known authorized API clients for messaging usage