sigmahighHunting

Renamed AutoIt Execution

Detects the execution of a renamed AutoIt2.exe or AutoIt3.exe. AutoIt is a scripting language and automation tool for Windows systems. While primarily used for legitimate automation tasks, it can be misused in cyber attacks. Attackers can leverage AutoIt to create and distribute malware, including keyloggers, spyware, and botnets. A renamed AutoIt executable is particularly suspicious.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1027

defense-evasion

Detection Query

selection_1:
  CommandLine|contains:
    - " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript"
    - " /ErrorStdOut"
selection_2:
  Hashes|contains:
    - IMPHASH=FDC554B3A8683918D731685855683DDF
    - IMPHASH=CD30A61B60B3D60CECDB034C8C83C290
    - IMPHASH=F8A00C72F2D667D2EDBB234D0C0AE000
selection_3:
  OriginalFileName:
    - AutoIt3.exe
    - AutoIt2.exe
    - AutoIt.exe
filter_main_legit_name:
  Image|endswith:
    - \AutoIt.exe
    - \AutoIt2.exe
    - \AutoIt3_x64.exe
    - \AutoIt3.exe
condition: 1 of selection_* and not 1 of filter_main_*

Author

Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)

Created

2023-06-04

Data Sources

windowsProcess Creation Events

Platforms

windows

References

Tags

attack.defense-evasionattack.t1027

Raw Content

title: Renamed AutoIt Execution
id: f4264e47-f522-4c38-a420-04525d5b880f
status: test
description: |
    Detects the execution of a renamed AutoIt2.exe or AutoIt3.exe.
    AutoIt is a scripting language and automation tool for Windows systems. While primarily used for legitimate automation tasks, it can be misused in cyber attacks.
    Attackers can leverage AutoIt to create and distribute malware, including keyloggers, spyware, and botnets. A renamed AutoIt executable is particularly suspicious.
references:
    - https://twitter.com/malmoeb/status/1665463817130725378?s=12&t=C0_T_re0wRP_NfKa27Xw9w
    - https://www.autoitscript.com/site/
author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
date: 2023-06-04
modified: 2024-11-23
tags:
    - attack.defense-evasion
    - attack.t1027
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_1:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ' /AutoIt3ExecuteScript'
            - ' /ErrorStdOut'
    selection_2:
        Hashes|contains:
            - 'IMPHASH=FDC554B3A8683918D731685855683DDF'  # AutoIt v2 - doesn't cover all binaries
            - 'IMPHASH=CD30A61B60B3D60CECDB034C8C83C290'  # AutoIt v2 - doesn't cover all binaries
            - 'IMPHASH=F8A00C72F2D667D2EDBB234D0C0AE000'  # AutoIt v3 - doesn't cover all binaries
    selection_3:
        OriginalFileName:
            - 'AutoIt3.exe'
            - 'AutoIt2.exe'
            - 'AutoIt.exe'
    filter_main_legit_name:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\AutoIt.exe'
            - '\AutoIt2.exe'
            - '\AutoIt3_x64.exe'
            - '\AutoIt3.exe'
    condition: 1 of selection_* and not 1 of filter_main_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: high