MITRE ATT&CK ยท Enterprise

T1036.006 โ€” Masquerading: Space after Filename

Sub-technique of T1036 Masquerading

ID
T1036.006
Platforms
Linux, macOS
Tactics
Stealth

Description

Adversaries can hide a program's true filetype by changing the extension of a file. With certain file types (specifically this does not work with .app extensions), appending a space to the end of a filename will change how the file is processed by the operating system.

For example, if there is a Mach-O executable file called evil.bin, when it is double clicked by a user, it will launch Terminal.app and execute. If this file is renamed to evil.txt, then when double clicked by a user, it will launch with the default text editing application (not executing the binary). However, if the file is renamed to evil.txt (note the space at the end), then when double clicked by a user, the true file type is determined by the OS and handled appropriately and the binary will be executed.

Adversaries can use this feature to trick users into double clicking benign-looking files of any format and ultimately executing something malicious.

Detected by EasySIEM

This project's own SigmaHQ-derived detection pipeline tags every compiled rule with the ATT&CK technique(s) it maps to -- if a rule in your install covers this technique, it shows up automatically on your own Grafana Alerts dashboard's "Top ATT&CK Techniques" panel, no lookup needed. This page exists so a click from there always lands here on easysiem.com, not on attack.mitre.org.

View this technique on the official MITRE ATT&CK site โ†—