Detect persistent or elevated container services via container runtime or cluster manipulation

Technique Detected:  Container Service | T1543.005

ID: DET0473
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN1304
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN1304

Correlate the creation or modification of containers using restart policies (e.g., 'always') or DaemonSets with elevated host access, service account misuse, or privileged container contexts. Watch for manipulation of systemd units involving containers or pod scheduling targeting specific nodes or namespaces.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) auditd:SYSCALL execve
Container Creation (DC0072) systemd:unit container run with restart policy set to 'always' or 'unless-stopped'
Pod Creation (DC0019) kubernetes:audit create
Service Creation (DC0060) kubernetes:audit create
Mutable Elements
Field Description
restartPolicy Tune for environments that legitimately use 'always' or 'unless-stopped' in trusted containers
targetNamespace Scope detection to high-risk namespaces (e.g., kube-system)
nodeSelector|nodeName Adjust if targeting known cluster configurations or test environments
unitFilePath Adapt to your OS/systemd hierarchy and container binary references
TimeWindow Adjust temporal correlation (e.g., container launch → privilege escalation)