GitHub Repo

Esxi Sensitive Files

Date: 2025-07-09 ID: f4e7c8fc-c534-415b-9f99-9e9419096db5 Author: Raven Tait, Splunk Environment: custom Directory: esxi_sensitive_files

Description

Sample of ESXi syslog events showing attempts to access sensitive files on the ESXi system.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

ID Technique Tactic
T1003.008 /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow Credential Access

Environment Details

Field Value
Environment custom
Directory esxi_sensitive_files
Test Date 2025-07-09

Datasets

The following datasets were collected during this attack simulation:

Esxi_shell_enabled

  • Path: /datasets/attack_techniques/T1003.008/esxi_sensitive_files/esxi_sensitive_files.log
  • Sourcetype: vmw-syslog
  • Source: vmw-syslog

The following detections in our security content repository use this attack data for testing:

Detection Name Type Source MITRE ATT&CK Analytic Story
ESXi Sensitive Files Accessed TTP Application T1003.008, T1005 ESXi Post Compromise, Black Basta Ransomware, China-Nexus Threat Activity

Usage Instructions

Replay with Splunk Attack Data

Replay attack data with replay.py from Splunk Attack Data.

1python replay.py --dataset /datasets/attack_techniques/T1003.008/esxi_sensitive_files/esxi_sensitive_files.log --index attack_data

Manual Import

  1. Download the dataset files from the paths listed above
  2. Configure your Splunk instance with the appropriate sourcetypes
  3. Import the logs using the Splunk Add Data wizard

Related Content

Find more detections and analytics for this attack technique in our security content repository.

Source: GitHub | Version: 1.0