splunk_escuAnomaly

Windows Cisco Secure Endpoint Related Service Stopped

The following analytic detects the suspicious termination of known services commonly targeted by ransomware before file encryption. It leverages Windows System Event Logs (EventCode 7036) to identify when critical services such as Volume Shadow Copy, backup, and antivirus services are stopped. This activity is significant because ransomware often disables these services to avoid errors and ensure successful file encryption. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to widespread data encryption, rendering files inaccessible and potentially causing significant operational disruption and data loss.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1490

Detection Query

`wineventlog_system` `normalized_service_binary_field`
  | rename param1 as display_name
  | rename param2 as status
  | search EventCode=7036 display_name IN ("Cisco AMP Orbital", "*Cisco Secure Endpoint*", "*Cisco Security Connector Monitoring*", "CiscoSAM", "CiscoAMPHeurDriver", "CiscoAMPELAMDriver", "CiscoAMPCEFWDriver", "ImmunetNetworkMonitorDriver", "ImmunetProtectDriver", "ImmunetSelfProtectDriver") status IN ("stopped", "arrêté")
  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
    BY EventCode display_name normalized_service_name
       status dest
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  | `windows_cisco_secure_endpoint_related_service_stopped_filter`

Author

Nasreddine Bencherchali, Splunk

Created

2026-03-10

Data Sources

Windows Event Log System 7036

References

Tags

Security Solution TamperingScattered Lapsus$ HuntersHellcat Ransomware

Raw Content

name: Windows Cisco Secure Endpoint Related Service Stopped
id: df74f45f-01c8-4fd6-bcb8-f6a9ea58307a
version: 5
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects the suspicious termination of known services commonly targeted by ransomware before file encryption. It leverages Windows System Event Logs (EventCode 7036) to identify when critical services such as Volume Shadow Copy, backup, and antivirus services are stopped. This activity is significant because ransomware often disables these services to avoid errors and ensure successful file encryption. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to widespread data encryption, rendering files inaccessible and potentially causing significant operational disruption and data loss.
data_source:
    - Windows Event Log System 7036
search: |-
    `wineventlog_system` `normalized_service_binary_field`
      | rename param1 as display_name
      | rename param2 as status
      | search EventCode=7036 display_name IN ("Cisco AMP Orbital", "*Cisco Secure Endpoint*", "*Cisco Security Connector Monitoring*", "CiscoSAM", "CiscoAMPHeurDriver", "CiscoAMPELAMDriver", "CiscoAMPCEFWDriver", "ImmunetNetworkMonitorDriver", "ImmunetProtectDriver", "ImmunetSelfProtectDriver") status IN ("stopped", "arrêté")
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY EventCode display_name normalized_service_name
           status dest
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `windows_cisco_secure_endpoint_related_service_stopped_filter`
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the 7036 EventCode ScManager in System audit Logs from your endpoints.
known_false_positives: Administrator or troubleshooting activities may trigger this alert. Investigate the process performing this action to determine if its a legitimate activity.
references:
    - https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/a-closer-look-at-the-darkside-ransomware-gang/
    - https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/mcafee-atr-analyzes-sodinokibi-aka-revil-ransomware-as-a-service-what-the-code-tells-us/
    - https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/04/24/lockbit-ransomware-borrows-tricks-to-keep-up-with-revil-and-maze/
    - https://blogs.vmware.com/security/2022/10/lockbit-3-0-also-known-as-lockbit-black.html
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: Cisco Secure Endpoint Service $display_name$ stopped on $dest$
    risk_objects:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
    threat_objects:
        - field: display_name
          type: service
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Security Solution Tampering
        - Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters
        - Hellcat Ransomware
    asset_type: Endpoint
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1490
    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/T1562.001/cisco_secure_endpoint_tampering/service_stop.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:System
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog