>date
Date displays or sets system date and time. SUID date can be abused with the -f parameter to read files line-by-line via error messages.
Default Executable Paths
/bin/date/usr/bin/dateIntegrity & Metadata
The -f flag treats each line of the specified file as a date format, printing invalid line contents in stderr.
Look for date processes executing with the -f flag targeting sensitive files.
Executive Summary & AI Quick Reference
date is a native utility pre-installed on Linux systems. Threat actors and red teams abuse date as a Living-off-the-Land Binary (LOLBin) to achieve Credential Dump without triggering traditional antivirus file-hash alerts. Legitimate system administrators use it for routine administration, making behavioral command-line telemetry essential for differentiation.
Weaponized Parameters & Proof-of-Concepts
Documented attack commands, parameter flags, and privilege prerequisites.
Exfiltrates contents of /etc/shadow line by line through date parse error strings.
date -f /etc/shadowSIEM & EDR Detection Rules
Production telemetry rules configured for Microsoft Defender, Sigma, and Splunk.
Telemetry & SIEM Detection Suite (date)
Validated against MITRE T10051DeviceProcessEvents | where FileName =~ "date" | where ProcessCommandLine has "-f" and ProcessCommandLine has_any ("/etc/shadow", "/etc/sudoers") | project Timestamp, DeviceName, AccountName, ProcessCommandLineMitigation, Hardening & Prevention
Recommended defensive controls to block or constrain date abuse.
Audit and remove unnecessary SUID / SGID bits (`chmod u-s /path/to/$date`) and restrict sudoers NOPASSWD execution grants.
Implement AppArmor or SELinux profiles restricting date network socket creation and read access to sensitive user directories.
Deploy the KQL, Sigma, and Splunk detection queries below. Alert on anomalous child processes, web requests to unrated external IPs, or encoded payload strings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) • date
Key operational questions and defensive answers about date LOLBin tradecraft.
What is date and why is it classified as a LOLBin?
date is a legitimate, pre-installed or trusted utility on Linux. It is classified as a Living-off-the-Land Binary (LOLBin) because adversaries abuse its built-in functionality to perform malicious operations—such as Credential Dump—without dropping custom malware binaries on disk.
How do threat actors abuse date in cyber intrusions?
Adversaries leverage date to execute stealthy actions while evading signature-based security controls. For example, attackers execute commands like "date -f /etc/shadow" to achieve Credential Dump, masquerading behind legitimate system process lineage.
How can SOC analysts detect suspicious date activity?
Detection engineers monitor process creation events (Windows Event ID 4688 or Sysmon Event ID 1; Linux auditd EXECVE; macOS Endpoint Security) inspecting anomalous command line arguments, unusual parent-child process relationships (e.g. Office apps or web servers spawning date), and unexpected network connections.
What MITRE ATT&CK techniques does date map to?
date maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique(s): T1005. These techniques cover adversary actions across tactics such as Defense Evasion, Execution, Persistence, and Command and Control.
How can organizations mitigate and restrict date?
Mitigation strategies include implementing Application Control policies (AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control - WDAC), enforcing Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules, configuring strict privilege separation (disallowing standard users from running sensitive switches), and alerting on execution from non-standard directories.
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