{'created': '2020-06-26T04:01:09.648Z',
 'created_by_ref': 'identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5',
 'description': 'Adversaries may modify pluggable authentication modules (PAM) '
                'to access user credentials or enable otherwise unwarranted '
                'access to accounts. PAM is a modular system of configuration '
                'files, libraries, and executable files which guide '
                'authentication for many services. The most common '
                'authentication module is <code>pam_unix.so</code>, which '
                'retrieves, sets, and verifies account authentication '
                'information in <code>/etc/passwd</code> and '
                '<code>/etc/shadow</code>.(Citation: Apple PAM)(Citation: Man '
                'Pam_Unix)(Citation: Red Hat PAM)\n'
                '\n'
                'Adversaries may modify components of the PAM system to create '
                'backdoors. PAM components, such as <code>pam_unix.so</code>, '
                'can be patched to accept arbitrary adversary supplied values '
                'as legitimate credentials.(Citation: PAM Backdoor)\n'
                '\n'
                'Malicious modifications to the PAM system may also be abused '
                'to steal credentials. Adversaries may infect PAM resources '
                'with code to harvest user credentials, since the values '
                'exchanged with PAM components may be plain-text since PAM '
                'does not store passwords.(Citation: PAM Creds)(Citation: '
                'Apple PAM)',
 'external_references': [{'external_id': 'T1556.003',
                          'source_name': 'mitre-attack',
                          'url': 'https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1556/003'},
                         {'description': 'Apple. (2011, May 11). PAM - '
                                         'Pluggable Authentication Modules. '
                                         'Retrieved June 25, 2020.',
                          'source_name': 'Apple PAM',
                          'url': 'https://opensource.apple.com/source/dovecot/dovecot-239/dovecot/doc/wiki/PasswordDatabase.PAM.txt'},
                         {'description': 'die.net. (n.d.). pam_unix(8) - Linux '
                                         'man page. Retrieved June 25, 2020.',
                          'source_name': 'Man Pam_Unix',
                          'url': 'https://linux.die.net/man/8/pam_unix'},
                         {'description': 'Fernández, J. M. (2018, June 27). '
                                         'Exfiltrating credentials via PAM '
                                         'backdoors & DNS requests. Retrieved '
                                         'November 17, 2024.',
                          'source_name': 'PAM Creds',
                          'url': 'https://web.archive.org/web/20240303094335/https://x-c3ll.github.io/posts/PAM-backdoor-DNS/'},
                         {'description': 'Red Hat. (n.d.). CHAPTER 2. USING '
                                         'PLUGGABLE AUTHENTICATION MODULES '
                                         '(PAM). Retrieved June 25, 2020.',
                          'source_name': 'Red Hat PAM',
                          'url': 'https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/6/html/managing_smart_cards/pluggable_authentication_modules'},
                         {'description': 'zephrax. (2018, August 3). '
                                         'linux-pam-backdoor. Retrieved June '
                                         '25, 2020.',
                          'source_name': 'PAM Backdoor',
                          'url': 'https://github.com/zephrax/linux-pam-backdoor'}],
 'id': 'attack-pattern--06c00069-771a-4d57-8ef5-d3718c1a8771',
 'kill_chain_phases': [{'kill_chain_name': 'mitre-attack',
                        'phase_name': 'credential-access'},
                       {'kill_chain_name': 'mitre-attack',
                        'phase_name': 'defense-evasion'},
                       {'kill_chain_name': 'mitre-attack',
                        'phase_name': 'persistence'}],
 'modified': '2025-10-24T17:48:21.118Z',
 'name': 'Pluggable Authentication Modules',
 'object_marking_refs': ['marking-definition--fa42a846-8d90-4e51-bc29-71d5b4802168'],
 'revoked': False,
 'spec_version': '2.1',
 'type': 'attack-pattern',
 'x_mitre_attack_spec_version': '3.2.0',
 'x_mitre_contributors': ['Scott Knight, @sdotknight, VMware Carbon Black',
                          'George Allen, VMware Carbon Black'],
 'x_mitre_deprecated': False,
 'x_mitre_detection': '',
 'x_mitre_domains': ['enterprise-attack'],
 'x_mitre_is_subtechnique': True,
 'x_mitre_modified_by_ref': 'identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5',
 'x_mitre_platforms': ['Linux', 'macOS'],
 'x_mitre_version': '2.1'}