T1654: Log Enumeration
Adversaries may enumerate system and service logs to find useful data. These logs may highlight various types of valuable insights for an adversary, such as user authentication records (Account Discovery), security or vulnerable software (Software Discovery), or hosts within a compromised network (Remote System Discovery).
Host binaries may be leveraged to collect system logs. Examples include using `wevtutil.exe` or PowerShell on Windows to access and/or export security event information. In cloud environments, adversaries may leverage utilities such as the Azure VM Agent’s `CollectGuestLogs.exe` to collect security logs from cloud hosted infrastructure.
Adversaries may also target centralized logging infrastructure such as SIEMs. Logs may also be bulk exported and sent to adversary-controlled infrastructure for offline analysis.
In addition to gaining a better understanding of the environment, adversaries may also monitor logs in real time to track incident response procedures. This may allow them to adjust their techniques in order to maintain persistence or evade defenses.
How it's found
Detection Strategy for Log Enumeration: Monitor for use of native utilities such as wevtutil.exe or PowerShell cmdlets (Get-WinEvent, Get-EventLog) to enumerate or export logs. Unusual access to security or system event channels, especially by non-administrative users or processes, should be correlated with subsequent file export or network transfer activity. Monitor for suspicious use of commands such as cat, less, grep, or journalctl accessing /var/log/ files. Abnormal enumeration of authentication logs (auth.log, secure) or bulk access to multiple logs in short time windows should be flagged. Detect abnormal access to unified logs via log show or fs_usage targeting system log files. Monitor for execution of shell utilities (cat, grep) against /var/log/system.log and for plist modifications enabling verbose logging. Monitor for cloud API calls that export or collect guest or system logs. Abnormal use of Azure VM Agent’s CollectGuestLogs.exe or AWS CloudWatch GetLogEvents across multiple instances should be correlated with lateral movement or data staging. Monitor ESXi shell or API access to host logs under /var/log/. Abnormal enumeration of vmkernel.log, hostd.log, or vpxa.log by unauthorized accounts should be flagged.
Standards mapping
Where this fits in a TurboPentest engagement
This weakness is not covered by the automated black-box pentest. IntegSec pentesters cover it in a manual engagement.
Frequently asked questions
What is T1654 Log Enumeration?
Adversaries may enumerate system and service logs to find useful data. These logs may highlight various types of valuable insights for an adversary, such as user authentication records (Account Discovery), security or vulnerable software (Software Discovery), or hosts within a compromised network (Remote System Discovery). Host binaries may be leveraged to collect system logs. Examples include using `wevtutil.exe` or PowerShell on Windows to access and/or export security event information. In cloud environments, adversaries may leverage utilities such as the Azure VM Agent’s `CollectGuestLogs.exe` to collect security logs from cloud hosted infrastructure. Adversaries may also target centralized logging infrastructure such as SIEMs. Logs may also be bulk exported and sent to adversary-controlled infrastructure for offline analysis. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the environment, adversaries may also monitor logs in real time to track incident response procedures. This may allow them to adjust their techniques in order to maintain persistence or evade defenses.
Which tactics does T1654 belong to?
T1654 maps to the Discovery tactic.
Does TurboPentest test for Log Enumeration?
This weakness is not covered by the automated black-box pentest. IntegSec pentesters cover it in a manual engagement.
Related MITRE ATT&CK techniques
About this reference
These security references are maintained by IntegSec, an offensive-security firm whose team holds CISSP, OSCP, and OSCE certifications and has run thousands of penetration tests. Content is kept current as tools, standards, and attack techniques evolve.
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