Sigma rule: Github Self Hosted Runner Changes Detected

Rule

Title

Github Self Hosted Runner Changes Detected

Status

test

Level

low

Author

Muhammad Faisal (@faisalusuf)

Date

2023-01-27

File

rules/application/github/audit/github_self_hosted_runner_changes_detected.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

A self-hosted runner is a system that you deploy and manage to execute jobs from GitHub Actions on GitHub.com.
This rule detects changes to self-hosted runners configurations in the environment. The self-hosted runner configuration changes once detected,
it should be validated from GitHub UI because the log entry may not provide full context.

Log source

product

github

service

audit

definition

Requirements: The audit log streaming feature must be enabled to be able to receive such logs. You can enable following the documentation here: https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/admin/monitoring-activity-in-your-enterprise/reviewing-audit-logs-for-your-enterprise/streaming-the-audit-log-for-your-enterprise#setting-up-audit-log-streaming

Detection

selection:
    action:
        - 'org.remove_self_hosted_runner'
        - 'org.runner_group_created'
        - 'org.runner_group_removed'
        - 'org.runner_group_runner_removed'
        - 'org.runner_group_runners_added'
        - 'org.runner_group_runners_updated'
        - 'org.runner_group_updated'
        - 'repo.register_self_hosted_runner'
        - 'repo.remove_self_hosted_runner'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Allowed self-hosted runners changes in the environment.
• A self-hosted runner is automatically removed from GitHub if it has not connected to GitHub Actions for more than 14 days.
• An ephemeral self-hosted runner is automatically removed from GitHub if it has not connected to GitHub Actions for more than 1 day.

Tags

• attack.impact
• attack.discovery
• attack.collection
• attack.persistence
• attack.privilege-escalation
• attack.initial-access
• attack.stealth
• attack.t1526
• attack.t1213.003
• attack.t1078.004

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1078.004
• T1213.003
• T1526

References

• https://docs.github.com/en/actions/hosting-your-own-runners/about-self-hosted-runners#about-self-hosted-runners
• https://docs.github.com/en/organizations/keeping-your-organization-secure/managing-security-settings-for-your-organization/reviewing-the-audit-log-for-your-organization#search-based-on-operation

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