Detect Gatekeeper Bypass via Quarantine Flag and Trust Control Manipulation

Technique Detected:  Gatekeeper Bypass | T1553.001

ID: DET0288
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0800
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0800

Correlates suspicious removal or modification of the com.apple.quarantine extended attribute, manipulation of LSFileQuarantineEnabled values in Info.plist, and unexpected process execution of unsigned or non-notarized binaries. Also monitors abnormal trust validation failures in unified logs and unusual activity in QuarantineEvents database entries.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
File Metadata (DC0059) macos:unifiedlog xattr -d com.apple.quarantine or similar attribute removal commands
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:unifiedlog Trust validation failures or bypass attempts during notarization and code signing checks
File Modification (DC0061) macos:osquery Changes to LSFileQuarantineEnabled field in Info.plist
Mutable Elements
Field Description
QuarantineBypassAllowList Legitimate enterprise update tools or deployment frameworks that may strip quarantine flags
CertificateAuthorityList Baseline trusted Apple Developer IDs and enterprise certs used for code signing
TimeWindow Time correlation window for xattr modification followed by suspicious process execution