Sigma rule: Persistence Via Sudoers Files

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-3b3adf07c7e3, updated 2026-08-15T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Persistence Via Sudoers Files
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-07-05
Modified
2026-08-15
File
rules/linux/file_event/file_event_lnx_persistence_sudoers_files.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the creation or modification of the main "/etc/sudoers" file or files within the "/etc/sudoers.d/" directory on Linux systems.
Adversaries may alter sudoers configuration to execute commands with elevated privileges without supplying a password.

Log source

product
linux
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    - TargetFilename: '/etc/sudoers'
    - TargetFilename|startswith: '/etc/sudoers.d/'
filter_main_dpkg:
    Image|endswith: '/usr/bin/dpkg'
    TargetFilename: '/etc/sudoers.d/README.dpkg-new'
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate sudoers changes by administrators or configuration-management tools

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.persistence
  • attack.t1548.003

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/linux/file_event/file_event_lnx_persistence_sudoers_files.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Persistence Via Sudoers Files" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/linux/file_event/file_event_lnx_persistence_sudoers_files.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Persistence Via Sudoers Files",
entity page, dataset version ref-3b3adf07c7e3, updated 2026-08-15T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/ddb26b76-4447-4807-871f-1b035b2bfa5d (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule ddb26b76-4447-4807-871f-1b035b2bfa5d, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.