Detect Archiving via Utility (T1560.001)

Technique Detected:  Archive via Utility | T1560.001

ID: DET0298
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0831, AN0832, AN0833
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0831

Detects adversarial archiving using built-in or third-party utilities (makecab, diantz, xcopy, certutil, 7z, WinRAR, WinZip). Correlates suspicious process creation events with command-line arguments for compression/encoding, followed by creation of archive files (.cab, .zip, .7z, .rar). Identifies anomalous loading of crypt32.dll for encryption operations or execution of diantz.exe to compress remotely staged files.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Security EventCode=4688
File Creation (DC0039) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=11
Module Load (DC0016) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=7
Mutable Elements
Field Description
SuspiciousExtensions List of archive extensions considered high risk (.cab, .zip, .7z, .rar).
ProcessAllowlist Known business utilities allowed to create archives without alerting.
FileSizeThresholdMB Minimum archive size threshold to filter out benign small compressions.

AN0832

Detects execution of archiving utilities (tar, gzip, bzip2, xz, zip, openssl) followed by suspicious archive file creation. Correlates archive creation in temporary or staging directories with execution of commands involving compression or encryption options.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Command Execution (DC0064) auditd:SYSCALL execve: Execution of tar, gzip, bzip2, xz, zip, or openssl with compression/encryption arguments
File Creation (DC0039) auditd:FILE create: Creation of archive files in /tmp, /var/tmp, or user home directories
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ArchiveCommands List of archiving utilities considered suspicious.
MonitoredDirectories Paths where archive creation is flagged as unusual (e.g., /tmp, /var/tmp).
TimeWindow Correlation window for linking utility execution with archive creation.

AN0833

Detects invocation of macOS-native archiving utilities (zip, ditto, hdiutil) or openssl used for encryption. Correlates execution with archive or encrypted file creation (.zip, .dmg, .tar.gz) in user or temporary directories. Identifies anomalous use of archiving commands by Office applications or daemons.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:unifiedlog Execution of zip, ditto, hdiutil, or openssl by processes not normally associated with archiving
File Creation (DC0039) macos:unifiedlog Creation of .zip, .dmg, .tar.gz files in /Users, /tmp, or application directories
Mutable Elements
Field Description
AllowedArchivers Business-approved applications permitted to create archives (e.g., backup agents).
UserContext Flag archiving under privileged or service accounts as higher risk.
PayloadEntropyThreshold Entropy threshold for detecting encrypted archives versus normal compression.