splunk_escuHunting

Windows System Discovery Using Qwinsta

The following analytic detects the execution of "qwinsta.exe" on a Windows operating system. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs. The "qwinsta.exe" tool is significant because it can display detailed session information on a remote desktop session host server. This behavior is noteworthy as it is commonly abused by Qakbot malware to gather system information and send it back to its Command and Control (C2) server. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized data exfiltration and further compromise of the host.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1033

Detection Query

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
  WHERE Processes.process_name = "qwinsta.exe"
    OR
    Processes.original_file_name = "qwinsta.exe"
  BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name
     Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid
     Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
     Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
     Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
     Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
     Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
| `drop_dm_object_name("Processes")`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `windows_system_discovery_using_qwinsta_filter`

Author

Teoderick Contreras, Splunk

Created

2026-02-25

Data Sources

Sysmon EventID 1Windows Event Log Security 4688CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2

References

Tags

Qakbot

Raw Content

name: Windows System Discovery Using Qwinsta
id: 2e765c1b-144a-49f0-93d0-1df4287cca04
version: 7
date: '2026-02-25'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Hunting
description: The following analytic detects the execution of "qwinsta.exe" on a Windows operating system. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs. The "qwinsta.exe" tool is significant because it can display detailed session information on a remote desktop session host server. This behavior is noteworthy as it is commonly abused by Qakbot malware to gather system information and send it back to its Command and Control (C2) server. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized data exfiltration and further compromise of the host.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search: |-
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
      WHERE Processes.process_name = "qwinsta.exe"
        OR
        Processes.original_file_name = "qwinsta.exe"
      BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name
         Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid
         Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
         Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
         Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
         Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
         Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
    | `drop_dm_object_name("Processes")`
    | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
    | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
    | `windows_system_discovery_using_qwinsta_filter`
how_to_implement: The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives: Administrator may execute this commandline tool for auditing purposes. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/qwinsta
    - https://securelist.com/qakbot-technical-analysis/103931/
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Qakbot
    asset_type: Endpoint
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1033
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1033/qakbot_discovery_cmdline/sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog