diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/index.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/index.tsx
index ac5c91aa8a25a..2d2ef8c8930d6 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/index.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/index.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * 2.0.
  */
 
-import { EuiAccordion, EuiFlexItem, EuiSpacer, EuiFormRow } from '@elastic/eui';
+import { EuiAccordion, EuiFlexItem, EuiSpacer, EuiFormRow, EuiToolTip } from '@elastic/eui';
 import type { FC } from 'react';
 import React, { memo, useCallback, useEffect, useState, useMemo } from 'react';
 import styled from 'styled-components';
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import styled from 'styled-components';
 import type { DataViewBase } from '@kbn/es-query';
 import type { Severity, Type } from '@kbn/securitysolution-io-ts-alerting-types';
 
+import type { RuleSource } from '../../../../../common/api/detection_engine';
 import { isThreatMatchRule, isEsqlRule } from '../../../../../common/detection_engine/utils';
 import type {
   RuleStepProps,
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ interface StepAboutRuleProps extends RuleStepProps {
   timestampOverride: string;
   form: FormHook<AboutStepRule>;
   esqlQuery?: string | undefined;
+  ruleSource?: RuleSource;
 }
 
 interface StepAboutRuleReadOnlyProps {
@@ -85,6 +87,7 @@ const StepAboutRuleComponent: FC<StepAboutRuleProps> = ({
   isLoading,
   form,
   esqlQuery,
+  ruleSource,
 }) => {
   const { data } = useKibana().services;
 
@@ -280,31 +283,51 @@ const StepAboutRuleComponent: FC<StepAboutRuleProps> = ({
               }}
             />
             <EuiSpacer size="l" />
-            <CommonUseField
-              path="author"
-              componentProps={{
-                idAria: 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleAuthor',
-                'data-test-subj': 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleAuthor',
-                euiFieldProps: {
-                  fullWidth: true,
-                  isDisabled: isLoading,
-                  placeholder: '',
-                },
-              }}
-            />
+            <EuiToolTip
+              content={
+                ruleSource?.type === 'external'
+                  ? I18n.AUTHOR_IMMUTABLE_FIELD_TOOLTIP_TEXT
+                  : undefined
+              }
+              display="block"
+              position="right"
+            >
+              <CommonUseField
+                path="author"
+                componentProps={{
+                  idAria: 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleAuthor',
+                  'data-test-subj': 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleAuthor',
+                  euiFieldProps: {
+                    fullWidth: true,
+                    isDisabled: isLoading || ruleSource?.type === 'external', // We don't allow "author" customization if this is a prebuilt rule
+                    placeholder: '',
+                  },
+                }}
+              />
+            </EuiToolTip>
             <EuiSpacer size="l" />
-            <CommonUseField
-              path="license"
-              componentProps={{
-                idAria: 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleLicense',
-                'data-test-subj': 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleLicense',
-                euiFieldProps: {
-                  fullWidth: true,
-                  disabled: isLoading,
-                  placeholder: '',
-                },
-              }}
-            />
+            <EuiToolTip
+              content={
+                ruleSource?.type === 'external'
+                  ? I18n.LICENSE_IMMUTABLE_FIELD_TOOLTIP_TEXT
+                  : undefined
+              }
+              display="block"
+              position="right"
+            >
+              <CommonUseField
+                path="license"
+                componentProps={{
+                  idAria: 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleLicense',
+                  'data-test-subj': 'detectionEngineStepAboutRuleLicense',
+                  euiFieldProps: {
+                    fullWidth: true,
+                    disabled: isLoading || ruleSource?.type === 'external', // We don't allow "license" customization if this is a prebuilt rule
+                    placeholder: '',
+                  },
+                }}
+              />
+            </EuiToolTip>
             <EuiSpacer size="l" />
             <EuiFormRow label={I18n.GLOBAL_ENDPOINT_EXCEPTION_LIST} fullWidth>
               <CommonUseField
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/translations.ts b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/translations.ts
index d07fe22a8ed7b..c295cf4b9296e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/translations.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/components/step_about_rule/translations.ts
@@ -97,3 +97,17 @@ export const ADD_RULE_SETUP_HELP_TEXT = i18n.translate(
     defaultMessage: 'Add rule setup guide...',
   }
 );
+
+export const AUTHOR_IMMUTABLE_FIELD_TOOLTIP_TEXT = i18n.translate(
+  'xpack.securitySolution.detectionEngine.createRule.stepAboutrule.authorImmutableFieldTooltipText',
+  {
+    defaultMessage: 'Author is not editable for Elastic rules',
+  }
+);
+
+export const LICENSE_IMMUTABLE_FIELD_TOOLTIP_TEXT = i18n.translate(
+  'xpack.securitySolution.detectionEngine.createRule.stepAboutrule.licenseImmutableFieldTooltipText',
+  {
+    defaultMessage: 'License is not editable for Elastic rules',
+  }
+);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/pages/rule_editing/index.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/pages/rule_editing/index.tsx
index 0a75fa5c8f319..594b9d2a35598 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/pages/rule_editing/index.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/public/detection_engine/rule_creation_ui/pages/rule_editing/index.tsx
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ const EditRulePageComponent: FC<{ rule: RuleResponse }> = ({ rule }) => {
                   form={aboutStepForm}
                   esqlQuery={esqlQueryForAboutStep}
                   key="aboutStep"
+                  ruleSource={rule.rule_source}
                 />
               )}
               <EuiSpacer />
@@ -343,6 +344,7 @@ const EditRulePageComponent: FC<{ rule: RuleResponse }> = ({ rule }) => {
     [
       isPrebuiltRulesCustomizationEnabled,
       rule?.immutable,
+      rule.rule_source,
       rule?.id,
       activeStep,
       loading,