Windows Rundll32 WebDAV Request

name: Windows Rundll32 WebDAV Request
id: 320099b7-7eb1-4153-a2b4-decb53267de2
version: 10
date: '2026-03-24'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
type: Hunting
status: production
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
description: The following analytic identifies the execution of rundll32.exe with command-line arguments loading davclnt.dll and the davsetcookie function to access a remote WebDAV instance. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names and command-line executions. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to exploit CVE-2023-23397, a known vulnerability. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute remote code or exfiltrate data, posing a severe threat to the environment.
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name=rundll32.exe Processes.process IN ("*\\windows\\system32\\davclnt.dll,*davsetcookie*","*\\windows\\syswow64\\davclnt.dll,*davsetcookie*") 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_rundll32_webdav_request_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: False positives will be present based on legitimate software, filtering may need to occur.
references:
    - https://strontic.github.io/xcyclopedia/library/davclnt.dll-0EA3050E7CC710526E330C413C165DA0.html
    - https://twitter.com/ACEResponder/status/1636116096506818562?s=20
    - https://twitter.com/domchell/status/1635999068282408962?s=20
    - https://msrc.microsoft.com/blog/2023/03/microsoft-mitigates-outlook-elevation-of-privilege-vulnerability/
    - https://www.pwndefend.com/2023/03/15/the-long-game-persistent-hash-theft/
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - CVE-2023-23397 Outlook Elevation of Privilege
    asset_type: Endpoint
    cve:
        - CVE-2023-23397
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1048.003
    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/T1048.003/cve-2023-23397/webdav_windows-sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog