T1163: Rc.common
During the boot process, macOS executes source /etc/rc.common, which is a shell script containing various utility functions. This file also defines routines for processing command-line arguments and for gathering system settings, and is thus recommended to include in the start of Startup Item Scripts [1]. In macOS and OS X, this is now a deprecated technique in favor of launch agents and launch daemons, but is currently still used.
Adversaries can use the rc.common file as a way to hide code for persistence that will execute on each reboot as the root user [2].
This ATT&CK object is revoked or deprecated in the current MITRE ATT&CK release.
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Rc.common
During the boot process, macOS executes source /etc/rc.common, which is a shell script containing various utility functions. This file also defines routines for processing command-line arguments and for gathering system settings, and is thus recommended to include in the start of Startup Item Scripts [1]. In macOS and OS X, this is now a deprecated technique in favor of launch agents and launch daemons, but is currently still used.
Adversaries can use the rc.common file as a way to hide code for persistence that will execute on each reboot as the root user [2].
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.
Related techniques
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| Domain | ID | Name | Relationship / procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | T1037.004 | RC Scripts Sub-technique | This object revoked by RC Scripts. |
All related ATT&CK context
Object version and sync metadata
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Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 1.1 | Current bundle Revoked | bce167564a6f… |
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External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
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[1]
Startup Items
Apple. (2016, September 13). Startup Items. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
Open source URL -
[2]
Methods of Mac Malware Persistence
Patrick Wardle. (2014, September). Methods of Malware Persistence on Mac OS X. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
Open source URL -
[3]
mitre-attack T1163Open source URL
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