heroui logo

GCP GCS Bulk Object Rewrite Operation

Panther Rules

View Source
Summary
This rule, designated as GCP.GCS.BulkObjectRewrite, is geared towards detecting potential ransomware activities that involve the rewriting of Google Cloud Storage (GCS) objects. The fundamental premise is that attackers, using compromised credentials, can execute 'gsutil rewrite' commands to modify data with an encryption key that they control. This rule specifically focuses on monitoring suspicious rewrite operations involving encrypted data in a GCS bucket, particularly via user agent patterns that indicate the use of the 'gsutil rewrite -k' command. The detection is active when 10 or more such events are logged, suggesting abnormal activity which could signify a ransom demand threat. To verify potential incidents, operators are instructed to review GCP Audit Logs for object creation operations associated with the same user, examine whether the IP address is legitimate, and check for other unusual access on the affected storage account within the past week. The rule also references relevant CIS benchmarks and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks, highlighting its focus on protection against ransomware-type threats in cloud environments.
Categories
  • Cloud
  • GCP
  • Infrastructure
Data Sources
  • Group
  • Application Log
  • Cloud Storage
ATT&CK Techniques
  • T1486
  • T1530
  • T1537
Created: 2026-01-06