Identifier / Programs / Linux and Unix

nice

Execute a program with a custom scheduling priority (niceness). Niceness values range from -20 (the highest priority) to 19 (the lowest). tldr-pages

GTFOBins shell 1 Sigma rule name it 2 ATT&CK techniques 1 documented command

How nice is abused

documented by GTFOBins

shell T1059.004 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Unix Shell

Each abuse is GTFOBins's category and the options and words it uses; the full write-up is on GTFOBins's page for nice.

1 documented command

from GTFOBins, each read by the identifier

shell unprivileged, with sudo, as SUID

nice /bin/sh

Identify

As SUID:

nice /bin/sh -p

Trips 1 Sigma rule: highShell Execution via Nice - Linux by Li Ling, Andy Parkidomo, Robert Rakowski, Blake Hartstein (Bloomberg L.P.)

The command the identifier reads trips a Sigma process-creation rule. This command is 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 nice. The identifier reads the line that runs nice.

What detects it

Sigma process creation rules

highShell Execution via Nice - LinuxLi Ling, Andy Parkidomo, Robert Rakowski, Blake Hartstein (Bloomberg L.P.)

T1059.004Command and Scripting Interpreter: Unix Shell

T1083File and Directory Discovery

Everyday use

from tldr-pages, CC BY 4.0

Print the current niceness value

niceIdentify

Increment the current niceness value by 10

nice niceIdentify

Launch a program with lowered priority

nice -niceness_value commandIdentify

None of the 3 examples the identifier reads matches GTFOBins abuse or trips a Sigma process-creation rule.

Options

1 in toybox

Show every option of nice

-n PRIORITYAdd given adjustment to priority (default 10)