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MITRE ATT&CK® Tool

S0179: MimiPenguin

MimiPenguin is a credential dumper, similar to Mimikatz, designed specifically for Linux platforms. [1]

EnterpriseS0179ToolObject v1.2 Modified
Glexia's Take

Analyst context for executives and security teams

Analyst confidence Medium

MimiPenguin is a Linux-focused credential dumping tool. Its business significance is that Linux servers, cloud workloads, and container hosts often hold credentials or tokens that can expand an intrusion beyond a single system. Even though ATT&CK does not provide detection guidance for this tool, the linked technique context points defenders toward credential access through the Linux proc filesystem.

Executive priority

Treat this as a validation item for Linux identity and workload resilience: can the organization detect suspicious credential access behavior on critical Linux systems, and can it limit the value of credentials exposed from memory or process data? For leaders, the priority is not the tool name alone; it is whether SOC, IR, cloud, and IAM teams have evidence to prove coverage for Linux credential dumping and a playbook for rapid credential rotation if suspected.

Technical view

ATT&CK lists MimiPenguin as a Linux credential dumper and relates it to T1003.007, Proc Filesystem, under credential access. SOC and detection teams should validate visibility into Linux process execution and suspicious access patterns involving proc filesystem data associated with process memory. Because official detection text is not provided, coverage should be based on local telemetry, behavioral analytics, and response procedures rather than assuming a known signature is sufficient. The ATT&CK relationship also notes TeamTNT uses this object; given TeamTNT’s described focus on cloud and containerized environments, cloud/container Linux telemetry should be included where those platforms exist.

Likely telemetry

  • Linux process creation and command-line telemetry
  • File access events involving /proc process metadata or memory-related files
  • Auditd, EDR, or equivalent Linux endpoint events for sensitive process inspection
  • Privilege escalation or unusual root-level activity on Linux hosts
  • Container host and workload runtime logs where Linux containers are in scope

Detection direction

  • Validate behavior-based detection for unusual process inspection or memory access through the proc filesystem rather than relying only on tool names.
  • Tune detections to distinguish legitimate debugging, monitoring, and administrative tooling from unexpected credential-access behavior.
  • Confirm Linux endpoint telemetry is collected from servers, container hosts, and high-value cloud workloads, not only from user endpoints.
  • Correlate suspected credential dumping with subsequent authentication anomalies or access to cloud/container resources.
  • Document blind spots where audit, EDR, or container telemetry is absent or not retained long enough for incident response.

Mitigation priorities

  • Prioritize hardening and least-privilege controls on Linux systems that store or process sensitive credentials.
  • Restrict unnecessary administrative access and debugging capabilities on production Linux workloads.
  • Use credential hygiene practices such as short-lived credentials, secrets management, and rapid rotation procedures for suspected exposure.
  • Ensure container and cloud workload isolation reduces the chance that credentials from one workload enable broader access.
  • Maintain incident response playbooks that include Linux credential dumping triage and credential invalidation decisions.
Analyst notes and limits

The supplied ATT&CK object is a tool record with Linux platform scope, a brief description, one source reference, and relationships to TeamTNT and T1003.007 Proc Filesystem. The most useful defensive framing is therefore behavior-centered: validate Linux proc filesystem and credential-access visibility, especially in cloud or containerized environments where applicable.

ATT&CK provides no official detection text, no tactics directly on the tool object, and no mitigation entries in the supplied fields. Local environment architecture, telemetry availability, and legitimate administrative tooling must determine final detection logic and response thresholds.

Official MITRE ATT&CK definition

MimiPenguin

MimiPenguin is a credential dumper, similar to Mimikatz, designed specifically for Linux platforms. [1]

View the same entry on attack.mitre.org (MITRE-hosted reference; in-page links above use the Glexia ATT&CK library.)

Glexia analysis

How security teams should use this page

Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.

ATT&CK relationship table

Techniques used

This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.

1 rows
Domain ID Name Relationship / procedure
Enterprise T1003.007 Proc Filesystem Sub-technique

MimiPenguin can use the `/maps` and `/mem` file to search for regex patterns and dump the process memory.CitationMimiPenguin GitHub May 2017CitationPicus Labs Proc cump 2022

Associated objects

Groups, software, and campaigns

Group Enterprise

G0139: TeamTNT

TeamTNT is a threat group that has primarily targeted cloud and containerized environments. The group as been active since at least October 2019 and has mainly focused its efforts on leveraging cloud and container resources to deploy cryptocurrency miners in victim environments.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Relationship explorer

All related ATT&CK context

Change history

Object version and sync metadata

The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates .

ATT&CK release
19.1
Object version
1.2
Created
Modified
Raw hash
1cd40cd7b1c57e67...
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
Release Bundle imported Object version Modified Status Raw hash
19.1 1.2 Current bundle 1cd40cd7b1c5…
Raw source

Mirrored ATT&CK source object

The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.

Source references

External references and citations

MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.

  1. [1]
    MimiPenguin GitHub May 2017

    Gregal, H. (2017, May 12). MimiPenguin. Retrieved December 5, 2017.

    Open source URL
  2. [2]
    mitre-attack S0179
    Open source URL
Source and licensing

Source: MITRE ATT&CK®. © 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. MITRE ATT&CK and ATT&CK are registered trademarks of The MITRE Corporation. Glexia is not affiliated with or endorsed by MITRE.