sigmahighHunting

MSSQL XPCmdshell Suspicious Execution

Detects when the MSSQL "xp_cmdshell" stored procedure is used to execute commands

Detection Query

selection:
  Provider_Name|contains: MSSQL
  EventID: 33205
  Data|contains|all:
    - object_name:xp_cmdshell
    - statement:EXEC
condition: selection

Author

Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Created

2022-07-12

Data Sources

windowsapplication

Platforms

windows

References

Tags

attack.execution

Raw Content

title: MSSQL XPCmdshell Suspicious Execution
id: 7f103213-a04e-4d59-8261-213dddf22314
status: test
description: Detects when the MSSQL "xp_cmdshell" stored procedure is used to execute commands
references:
    - https://www.netspi.com/blog/technical/network-penetration-testing/sql-server-persistence-part-1-startup-stored-procedures/
    - https://thedfirreport.com/2022/07/11/select-xmrig-from-sqlserver/
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2022-07-12
modified: 2024-06-26
tags:
    - attack.execution
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: application
    definition: 'Requirements: MSSQL audit policy to monitor for "xp_cmdshell" must be enabled in order to receive this event in the application log (Follow this tutorial https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/103183/is-there-any-way-to-monitor-execution-of-xp-cmdshell-in-sql-server-2012)'
    # warning: The 'data' field used in the detection section is the container for the event data as a whole. You may have to adapt the rule for your backend accordingly
detection:
    selection:
        Provider_Name|contains: 'MSSQL' # Note: We use contains to account for other third party providers - See https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/issues/4876
        EventID: 33205
        Data|contains|all:
            # You can modify this to include specific commands
            - 'object_name:xp_cmdshell'
            - 'statement:EXEC'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: high