Identifier / Programs / Linux and Unix
dd
Convert and copy a file. tldr-pages
GTFOBins file-read, file-write 3 Sigma rules name it 3 ATT&CK techniques 2 documented commands
How dd is abused
file-read
file-write
Each abuse is GTFOBins's category and the options and words it uses; the full write-up is on GTFOBins's page for dd.
2 documented commands
file-read unprivileged, with sudo, as SUID
dd if=/path/to/input-filefile-write unprivileged, with sudo, as SUID
echo DATA | dd of=/path/to/output-fileNone of the 2 commands the identifier reads trips a Sigma process-creation rule. These commands are from GTFOBins, at commit acd524623f9c of 2026-05-27, under the GPL-3.0, with no warranty. Changed: Markdown is shown formatted. The source is in lolbas-gtfobins-commands.json.gz, and the full entry is on GTFOBins’s page for dd. The identifier reads the line of each that runs dd.
What detects it
Everyday use
Make a bootable USB drive from an isohybrid file (such as archlinux-xxx.iso) and show the progress
dd if=path/to/file.iso of=/dev/usb_drive status=progressIdentifyClone a drive to another drive with 4 MiB block size and flush writes before the command terminates
dd bs=4194304 conv=fsync if=/dev/source_drive of=/dev/dest_driveIdentifyGenerate a file with a specific number of random bytes by using kernel random driver
dd bs=100 count=1 if=/dev/urandom of=path/to/random_fileIdentifyTrips 1 Sigma rule: highBinary Padding - MacOS by Igor Fits, Mikhail Larin, oscd.community
Of the 3 examples the identifier reads, 1 matches GTFOBins abuse or trips a Sigma process-creation rule.