Cybersecurity
Elastic Security Uses Beacon Object Files to Test Detection Coverage
Elastic Security used Beacon Object Files (BOFs) during its OnWeek event to probe gaps in detection coverage. By detonating BOFs with its internal Detonate Service and analyzing telemetry via the AI Assistant for Security, the team uncovered blind spots in in‑memory execution detection. Defenders can adopt a similar BOF‑based validation workflow to strengthen their detection pipelines.
What Happened
During the latest Elastic OnWeek, the security team experimented with Beacon Object Files (BOFs) to probe detection gaps. BOFs, lightweight payloads that run inside existing processes, were detonated via Elastic’s internal Detonate Service and monitored by the AI Assistant for Security.
Impact
The exercise revealed that many existing rules missed in‑memory execution of BOFs, especially those that bypass AMSI and avoid fork‑and‑run patterns. It highlighted gaps in process‑injection and syscall monitoring that could be exploited by advanced adversaries.
Methodology
- Collected open‑source BOFs from community repositories.
- Injected them into target processes using the Detonate Service.
- Captured telemetry and evaluated rule coverage with the AI Assistant.
- Iterated on rule updates to close uncovered paths.
Elastic’s Detonate Service provides a sandboxed environment where BOFs can be executed without affecting production workloads.
What Defenders Should Do
- Use open‑source BOFs to simulate in‑memory attacks.
- Leverage automated detonation services to generate realistic telemetry.
- Employ AI‑driven analysis to identify rule gaps quickly.
- Update detection rules and monitor for new BOF variants.
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