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Agent skill

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration

by mukul975 in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills

Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or…

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedSecurity

Install Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration

skills CLI
$ npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration .claude/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration
GitHub stars
34k
Token cost
~801 tokens
SKILL.md length
305 words
Files
4 (incl. scripts, references)
Skills in repo
644
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or…

  • Works in 7 steps: Detect Archive Tool Execution — Monitor… → Identify Staging Directories — Flag file… → Detect Large File Consolidation —… → …
  • Hunting for pre-exfiltration staging behavior
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Prerequisites and Steps, plus 1 more section
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder

What it does

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration is an agent skill from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills. Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or hidden folder access, and anomalous consolidation of files from multiple directories. Use when hunting for pre-exfiltration staging behavior, building detection rules for archiver abuse, or validating monitoring coverage for T1074.

Its SKILL.md is about 800 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 5 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `references/api-reference.md` and `scripts/agent.py`).

It sits in Security, covering Security operations. The repository describes itself as: 817 structured cybersecurity skills for AI agents · Mapped to 6 frameworks: MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF 2.0, MITRE ATLAS, D3FEND, NIST AI RMF & MITRE F3 (Fight Fraud) · agentskills.io…. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Hunting for pre-exfiltration staging behavior
  • Building detection rules for archiver abuse
  • Validating monitoring coverage for T1074

Example prompts

  • “/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

7 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Detect Archive Tool Execution — Monitor for 7z.exe, rar.exe, tar, zip, and WinRAR process creation with compression arguments
  2. Identify Staging Directories — Flag file writes to common staging locations (Recycle Bin, %TEMP%, ProgramData, hidden directories)
  3. Detect Large File Consolidation — Identify patterns of multiple file reads followed by writes to a single directory
  4. Monitor Sensitive Path Access — Track bulk reads from document directories, database paths, and network shares
  5. Analyze Archive Metadata — Extract and analyze archive file sizes, creation times, and source paths
  6. Score Staging Risk — Apply heuristic scoring based on archive size, source diversity, staging path suspicion, and timing
  7. Generate Hunt Report — Produce a structured report with staging event timeline and MITRE ATT&CK mapping

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 54a7988. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 1 file in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration loads about 801 tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.4k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 119 tokens; SKILL.md has 305 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~119
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~801
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~1.4k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills at commit 54a7988, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© mukul975). 305 words, ~801 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration
description
Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or hidden folder access, and anomalous consolidation of files from multiple directories. Use when hunting for pre-exfiltration staging behavior, building detection rules for archiver abuse, or validating monitoring coverage for T1074.
domain
cybersecurity
subdomain
threat-hunting
tags
data-staging, exfiltration, t1074, archive-detection, edr, threat-hunting, dlp
version
1.0
author
mahipal
license
Apache-2.0
d3fend_techniques
File Metadata Consistency Validation, Content Format Conversion, File Content Analysis, Platform Hardening, File Format Verification
nist_csf
DE.CM-01, DE.AE-02, DE.AE-07, ID.RA-05
mitre_attack
T1046, T1057, T1082, T1083, T1048

Hunting for Data Staging Before Exfiltration

Overview

Before exfiltrating data, adversaries typically stage collected files in a central location (MITRE ATT&CK T1074). This involves creating archives with tools like 7-Zip, RAR, or tar, consolidating files from multiple directories, and using temporary or hidden staging directories. This skill detects staging behavior by analyzing process creation logs for archiver activity, monitoring file system events in common staging paths, and identifying anomalous file consolidation patterns.

When to Use

  • When investigating security incidents that require hunting for data staging before exfiltration
  • When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
  • When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
  • When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques

Prerequisites

  • EDR or Sysmon telemetry with process creation and file system events
  • Windows Event Logs (Event ID 4688) or Sysmon Event ID 1, 11
  • Python 3.8+ with standard library
  • Access to process creation logs in JSON/CSV format

Steps

  1. Detect Archive Tool Execution — Monitor for 7z.exe, rar.exe, tar, zip, and WinRAR process creation with compression arguments
  2. Identify Staging Directories — Flag file writes to common staging locations (Recycle Bin, %TEMP%, ProgramData, hidden directories)
  3. Detect Large File Consolidation — Identify patterns of multiple file reads followed by writes to a single directory
  4. Monitor Sensitive Path Access — Track bulk reads from document directories, database paths, and network shares
  5. Analyze Archive Metadata — Extract and analyze archive file sizes, creation times, and source paths
  6. Score Staging Risk — Apply heuristic scoring based on archive size, source diversity, staging path suspicion, and timing
  7. Generate Hunt Report — Produce a structured report with staging event timeline and MITRE ATT&CK mapping

Expected Output

  • JSON report of detected staging events with risk scores
  • Archive creation timeline with source file analysis
  • MITRE ATT&CK mapping (T1074.001, T1074.002, T1560)
  • Staging directory heat map showing suspicious write activity

© mukul975, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (scripts, references) in skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration of mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • LICENSE
  • references/api-reference.md
  • scripts/agent.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 54a7988

Compare with similar skills

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration this skillmukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills34k—~801Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Security Alert Triageelastic/agent-skills5921 repos~3.5kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Kubernetes Network Security Auditkubeshark/kubeshark12k—~7.3kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Security Detection Rule Managementelastic/agent-skills5921 repos~3.9kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Chaitin CLIchaitin/chaitin-cli115—~15kAutomated safety check: NotesGPL-3.0
GatesNebulock-Inc/agentic-threat-hunting-framework388—~12kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration

What does Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration do?

Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or…. Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration is an agent skill from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills. Detect data-staging activity (MITRE ATT&CK T1074) by analyzing EDR/Sysmon process-creation and file-system telemetry (Event ID 4688, Sysmon 1/11) for 7-Zip/RAR/tar archive creation, unusual temp or hidden folder access, and anomalous consolidation of files from multiple directories.

When should I use Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration?

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration fits situations like: hunting for pre-exfiltration staging behavior; building detection rules for archiver abuse; validating monitoring coverage for T1074.

How do I install Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills) into .claude/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration in Codex?

Run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills) into .agents/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration, .gemini/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration, .github/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration and .opencode/skills/hunting-for-data-staging-before-exfiltration in your project.

What does Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration needs Python for the scripts in its folder. Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration use?

Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration use?

About 801 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 587 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration: Security Alert Triage (elastic/agent-skills, 592 stars), Kubernetes Network Security Audit (kubeshark/kubeshark, 12k stars), Security Detection Rule Management (elastic/agent-skills, 592 stars) and Chaitin CLI (chaitin/chaitin-cli, 115 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Hunting For Data Staging Before Exfiltration?

mukul975 (a GitHub user) maintains it in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills, which has 34,116 GitHub stars. The repository holds 644 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 31, 2026.

Source: mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.