> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/unusual-ssh-activity.md).

# Unusual SSH Activity

### Synopsis

| Field                | Value                                                                                                       |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Activation Period    | 14 Days                                                                                                     |
| Training Period      | 30 Days                                                                                                     |
| Test Period          | 2 Hours                                                                                                     |
| Deduplication Period | 1 Day                                                                                                       |
| Required Data        | <p>Requires one of the following data sources:<br>Palo Alto Networks Firewall traffic Logs OR XDR Agent</p> |
| ATT\&CK Tactic       | Command and Control (TA0011)                                                                                |
| ATT\&CK Technique    | Protocol Tunneling (T1572)                                                                                  |
| Severity             | Informational                                                                                               |

### Description

Unusual SSH activity was detected that involved a higher than usual volume of data transfer and an abnormally long session.

### Attacker's Goals

Attackers may use SSH or any similar utility to create a network tunnel to allow an attacker to covertly connect to an internal host.

### Investigative actions

* Review the client IP/Agent for using known intelligence tools.
* Investigate the user accounts involved in the SSH connections to determine if credentials were compromised, Additionally examine logs for any unexpected data transfers or commands that may indicate malicious intent.

### Variations

<details>

<summary>Unusual, long SSH activity with tunnel characteristics</summary>

**Synopsis**

| Field             | Value                        |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------- |
| ATT\&CK Tactic    | Command and Control (TA0011) |
| ATT\&CK Technique | Protocol Tunneling (T1572)   |
| Severity          | Low                          |

**Description**

Unusual SSH activity was detected that involved a high volume of data transfer and abnormal session duration.

**Attacker's Goals**

Attackers may use SSH or any similar utility to create a network tunnel to allow an attacker to covertly connect to an internal host.

**Investigative actions**

* Review the client IP/Agent for using known intelligence tools.
* Investigate the user accounts involved in the SSH connections to determine if credentials were compromised, Additionally examine logs for any unexpected data transfers or commands that may indicate malicious intent.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Unusual SSH activity with tunnel characteristics to external destination</summary>

**Synopsis**

| Field             | Value                        |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------- |
| ATT\&CK Tactic    | Command and Control (TA0011) |
| ATT\&CK Technique | Protocol Tunneling (T1572)   |
| Severity          | Low                          |

**Description**

Unusual SSH activity was detected that involved a higher than usual volume of data transfer and an abnormally long session.

**Attacker's Goals**

Attackers may use SSH or any similar utility to create a network tunnel to allow an attacker to covertly connect to an internal host.

**Investigative actions**

* Review the client IP/Agent for using known intelligence tools.
* Investigate the user accounts involved in the SSH connections to determine if credentials were compromised, Additionally examine logs for any unexpected data transfers or commands that may indicate malicious intent.

</details>


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