GitHub Repo

Detection: MacOS Osascript Executing JavaScript Code With ObjC

Updated Date: 2026-09-18 ID: 9ad44dce-7291-47f8-84a7-e343a5147242 Author: Radka Viskova, Splunk Type: Anomaly Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

This analytic detects the macOS osascript utility executing JavaScript for Automation (JXA) code, identified by the "-l JavaScript" interpreter flag, with references to the Objective-C bridge. Adversaries may abuse JXA and Objective-C APIs to interact with macOS applications, access native system functionality, execute commands, or perform post-exploitation activity.

 1
 2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
 3  count min(_time) as firstTime
 4        max(_time) as lastTime
 5
 6FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes WHERE
 7
 8Processes.process_name="osascript"
 9Processes.process="*-l *"
10Processes.process="* JavaScript*"
11Processes.process="*ObjC.*"
12
13BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec
14    Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id
15    Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
16    Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
17    Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
18    Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
19    Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
20
21
22| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
23
24| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
25
26| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
27
28| `macos_osascript_executing_javascript_code_with_objc_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source
Osquery Results Other 'osquery:results' 'osquery'

Macros Used

Name Value
security_content_summariesonly summariesonly=summariesonly_config allow_old_summaries=oldsummaries_config fillnull_value=fillnull_config``
macos_osascript_executing_javascript_code_with_objc_filter search *
macos_osascript_executing_javascript_code_with_objc_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK
+ Kill Chain Phases
+ NIST
+ CIS
- Threat Actors
ID Technique Tactic
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
T1059.007 JavaScript Execution
Installation
DE.AE
CIS 10

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting Value
Disabled true
Cron Schedule 0 * * * *
Earliest Time -70m@m
Latest Time -10m@m
Schedule Window auto
Creates Finding (Notable) No
Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event) Yes
Anomaly detections generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events). They do not generate a Finding (Notable) directly.

Implementation

This detection uses osquery and endpoint security on MacOS. Follow the link in references, which describes how to setup process auditing in MacOS with endpoint security and osquery. Also the TA-OSquery must be deployed across your indexers and universal forwarders in order to have the osquery data populate the data models.

Known False Positives

Scripts that legitimately invoke utility Osascript with JavaScript for automation or system management.

Associated Analytic Story

Intermediate Findings

Message Entity Field Entity Type Risk Score
The Osascript utility with the command line [$process$] was observed on [$dest$] executing JXA code with Objective-C bridge references. dest system 30

Threat Objects

Field Type
process process

References

Detection Testing

Test Type Status Dataset Source Sourcetype
Validation ✅ Passing N/A N/A N/A
Unit ✅ Passing Dataset osquery osquery:results
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset osquery osquery:results

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub |

Version: 1