sigmamediumHunting

New DLL Registered Via Odbcconf.EXE

Detects execution of "odbcconf" with "REGSVR" in order to register a new DLL (equivalent to running regsvr32). Attackers abuse this to install and run malicious DLLs.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1218.008

defense-evasion

Detection Query

selection_img:
  - Image|endswith: \odbcconf.exe
  - OriginalFileName: odbcconf.exe
selection_cli:
  CommandLine|contains|all:
    - "REGSVR "
    - .dll
condition: all of selection_*

Author

Kirill Kiryanov, Beyu Denis, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Created

2023-05-22

Data Sources

windowsProcess Creation Events

Platforms

windows

References

Tags

attack.defense-evasionattack.t1218.008

Raw Content

title: New DLL Registered Via Odbcconf.EXE
id: 9f0a8bf3-a65b-440a-8c1e-5cb1547c8e70
related:
    - id: ba4cfc11-d0fa-4d94-bf20-7c332c412e76
      type: similar
status: test
description: Detects execution of "odbcconf" with "REGSVR" in order to register a new DLL (equivalent to running regsvr32). Attackers abuse this to install and run malicious DLLs.
references:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/odbc/odbcconf-exe?view=sql-server-ver16
    - https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Odbcconf/
    - https://redcanary.com/blog/raspberry-robin/
    - https://web.archive.org/web/20191023232753/https://twitter.com/Hexacorn/status/1187143326673330176
    - https://www.hexacorn.com/blog/2020/08/23/odbcconf-lolbin-trifecta/
    - https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/17/h/backdoor-carrying-emails-set-sights-on-russian-speaking-businesses.html
author: Kirill Kiryanov, Beyu Denis, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2023-05-22
tags:
    - attack.defense-evasion
    - attack.t1218.008
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\odbcconf.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'odbcconf.exe'
    selection_cli:
        # Note: The "/A" flag is not required to call a specific action
        CommandLine|contains|all:
            - 'REGSVR '
            - '.dll'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate DLLs being registered via "odbcconf" will generate false positives. Investigate the path of the DLL and its content to determine if the action is authorized.
level: medium