Windows Multi hop Proxy TOR Website Query

name: Windows Multi hop Proxy TOR Website Query
id: 4c2d198b-da58-48d7-ba27-9368732d0054
version: 10
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic identifies DNS queries to known TOR proxy websites, such as "*.torproject.org" and "www.theonionrouter.com". It leverages Sysmon EventCode 22 to detect these queries by monitoring DNS query events from endpoints. This activity is significant because adversaries often use TOR proxies to disguise the source of their malicious traffic, making it harder to trace their actions. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could indicate an attempt to obfuscate network traffic, potentially allowing attackers to exfiltrate data or communicate with command and control servers undetected.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 22
search: |-
    `sysmon` EventCode=22 QueryName IN ("*.torproject.org", "www.theonionrouter.com")
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY answer answer_count dvc
           process_exec process_guid process_name
           query query_count reply_code_id
           signature signature_id src
           user_id vendor_product QueryName
           QueryResults QueryStatus
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `windows_multi_hop_proxy_tor_website_query_filter`
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the process name and sysmon eventcode = 22 dns query events from your endpoints. If you are using Sysmon, you must have at least version 6.0.4 of the Sysmon TA.
known_false_positives: third party application may use this proxies if allowed in production environment. Filter is needed.
references:
    - https://malpedia.caad.fkie.fraunhofer.de/details/win.agent_tesla
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
rba:
    message: a process $process_name$ is having a dns query in a tor domain $QueryName$ in $dvc$
    risk_objects:
        - field: dvc
          type: system
          score: 20
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - AgentTesla
        - Interlock Ransomware
    asset_type: Endpoint
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1071.003
    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/malware/agent_tesla/agent_tesla_tor_dns_query/sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog