EXPLORE DETECTIONS
Detect mshta inline hta execution
The following analytic detects the execution of "mshta.exe" with inline protocol handlers such as "JavaScript", "VBScript", and "About". It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on command-line arguments and process details. This activity is significant because mshta.exe can be exploited to execute malicious scripts, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or establish persistence within the environment, posing a severe security risk.
Detect mshta renamed
The following analytic identifies instances where mshta.exe has been renamed and executed. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data, specifically focusing on the original file name field to detect discrepancies. This activity is significant because renaming mshta.exe is a common tactic used by attackers to evade detection and execute malicious scripts. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the network.
Detect MSHTA Url in Command Line
The following analytic detects the use of Microsoft HTML Application Host (mshta.exe) to make remote HTTP or HTTPS connections. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on command-line arguments containing URLs. This activity is significant because adversaries often use mshta.exe to download and execute remote .hta files, bypassing security controls. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise, data exfiltration, or further network infiltration.
Detect New Local Admin account
The following analytic detects the creation of new accounts elevated to local administrators. It uses Windows event logs, specifically EventCode 4720 (user account creation) and EventCode 4732 (user added to Administrators group). This activity is significant as it indicates potential unauthorized privilege escalation, which is critical for SOC monitoring. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to gain administrative access, leading to unauthorized data access, system modifications, and disruption of services. Immediate investigation is required to mitigate risks and prevent further unauthorized actions.
Detect New Login Attempts to Routers
The following analytic identifies new login attempts to routers. It leverages authentication logs from the ES Assets and Identity Framework, focusing on assets categorized as routers. The detection flags connections that have not been observed in the past 30 days. This activity is significant because unauthorized access to routers can lead to network disruptions or data interception. If confirmed malicious, attackers could gain control over network traffic, potentially leading to data breaches or further network compromise.
Detect New Open GCP Storage Buckets
The following analytic identifies the creation of new open/public GCP Storage buckets. It leverages GCP PubSub events, specifically monitoring for the `storage.setIamPermissions` method and checks if the `allUsers` member is added. This activity is significant because open storage buckets can expose sensitive data to the public, posing a severe security risk. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could access, modify, or delete data within the bucket, leading to data breaches and potential compliance violations.
Detect New Open S3 buckets
The following analytic identifies the creation of open/public S3 buckets in AWS. It detects this activity by analyzing AWS CloudTrail events for `PutBucketAcl` actions where the access control list (ACL) grants permissions to all users or authenticated users. This activity is significant because open S3 buckets can expose sensitive data to unauthorized access, leading to data breaches. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could read, write, or fully control the contents of the bucket, potentially leading to data exfiltration or tampering.
Detect New Open S3 Buckets over AWS CLI
The following analytic detects the creation of open/public S3 buckets via the AWS CLI. It leverages AWS CloudTrail logs to identify events where a user has set bucket permissions to allow access to "AuthenticatedUsers" or "AllUsers." This activity is significant because open S3 buckets can expose sensitive data to unauthorized users, leading to data breaches. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain unauthorized access to potentially sensitive information stored in the S3 bucket, posing a significant security risk.
Detect Outbound LDAP Traffic
The following analytic identifies outbound LDAP traffic to external IP addresses. It leverages the Network_Traffic data model to detect connections on ports 389 or 636 that are not directed to private IP ranges (RFC1918). This activity is significant because outbound LDAP traffic can indicate potential data exfiltration or unauthorized access attempts. If confirmed malicious, attackers could exploit this to access sensitive directory information, leading to data breaches or further network compromise.
Detect Outbound SMB Traffic
The following analytic detects outbound SMB (Server Message Block) connections from internal hosts to external servers. It identifies this activity by monitoring network traffic for SMB requests directed towards the Internet, which are unusual for standard operations. This detection is significant for a SOC as it can indicate an attacker's attempt to retrieve credential hashes through compromised servers, a key step in lateral movement and privilege escalation. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential full system compromise.
Detect Outlook exe writing a zip file
The following analytic identifies the execution of `outlook.exe` writing a `.zip` file to the disk. It leverages data from the Endpoint data model, specifically monitoring process and filesystem activities. This behavior can be significant as it may indicate the use of Outlook to deliver malicious payloads or exfiltrate data via compressed files. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized data access, data exfiltration, or the delivery of malware, potentially compromising the security of the affected system and network.
Detect Password Spray Attack Behavior From Source
The following analytic identifies one source failing to authenticate with 10 or more unique users. This behavior could represent an adversary performing a Password Spraying attack to obtain initial access or elevate privileges. This logic can be used for real time security monitoring as well as threat hunting exercises and works well against any number of data sources ingested into the CIM datamodel. Environments can be very different depending on the organization. Test and customize this detections thresholds if needed.
Detect Password Spray Attack Behavior On User
The following analytic identifies any user failing to authenticate from 10 or more unique sources. This behavior could represent an adversary performing a Password Spraying attack to obtain initial access or elevate privileges. This logic can be used for real time security monitoring as well as threat hunting exercises. Environments can be very different depending on the organization. Test and customize this detections thresholds as needed
Detect Password Spray Attempts
This analytic employs the 3-sigma approach to detect an unusual volume of failed authentication attempts from a single source. A password spray attack is a type of brute force attack where an attacker tries a few common passwords across many different accounts to avoid detection and account lockouts. By utilizing the Authentication Data Model, this detection is effective for all CIM-mapped authentication events, providing comprehensive coverage and enhancing security against these attacks.
Detect Path Interception By Creation Of program exe
The following analytic identifies the creation of a program executable in an unquoted service path, a common technique for privilege escalation. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is 'services.exe'. This activity is significant because unquoted service paths can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to gain higher-level access, potentially leading to full system compromise and persistent control over the affected endpoint.
Detect Port Security Violation
The following analytic detects port security violations on Cisco switches. It leverages logs from Cisco network devices, specifically looking for events with mnemonics indicating port security violations. This activity is significant because it indicates an unauthorized device attempting to connect to a secured port, potentially bypassing network access controls. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the network, leading to data exfiltration, network disruption, or further lateral movement within the environment.
Detect Prohibited Applications Spawning cmd exe
The following analytic detects executions of cmd.exe spawned by processes that are commonly abused by attackers and do not typically launch cmd.exe. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process GUID, process name, parent process, and command-line executions. This activity is significant because it may indicate an attempt to execute unauthorized commands or scripts, often a precursor to further malicious actions. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to unauthorized code execution, privilege escalation, or persistence within the environment.
Detect PsExec With accepteula Flag
The following analytic identifies the execution of `PsExec.exe` with the `accepteula` flag in the command line. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs and command-line arguments. This activity is significant because PsExec is commonly used by threat actors to execute code on remote systems, and the `accepteula` flag indicates first-time usage, which could signify initial compromise. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow attackers to gain remote code execution capabilities, potentially leading to further system compromise and lateral movement within the network.
Detect Rare Executables
The following analytic detects the execution of rare processes that appear only once across the network within a specified timeframe. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs. This activity is significant for a SOC as it helps identify potentially malicious activities or unauthorized software, which could indicate a security breach or ongoing attack. If confirmed malicious, such rare processes could lead to data theft, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise, making early detection crucial for minimizing impact. The search currently identifies processes executed on fewer than 10 hosts, but this threshold can be adjusted based on the organization's environment and risk tolerance. The search groups results by process name which can lead to blind spots if a malicious process uses a common name. To mitigate this, consider enhancing the detection logic to group by additional attributes such as process hash.
Detect RClone Command-Line Usage
The following analytic detects the usage of `rclone.exe` with specific command-line arguments indicative of file transfer activities. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on command-line executions and process details. This activity is significant as `rclone.exe` is often used by adversaries for data exfiltration, especially during ransomware attacks. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to unauthorized data transfer, resulting in data breaches and potential loss of sensitive information. Immediate isolation of the affected endpoint and further investigation are recommended.
Detect Regasm Spawning a Process
The following analytic detects regasm.exe spawning a child process. This behavior is identified using data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process creation events where regasm.exe is the parent process. This activity is significant because regasm.exe spawning a process is rare and can indicate an attempt to bypass application control mechanisms. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to privilege escalation or persistent access within the environment. Immediate investigation is recommended to determine the legitimacy of the spawned process and any associated activities.
Detect Regasm with Network Connection
The following analytic detects the execution of regasm.exe establishing a network connection to a public IP address, excluding private IP ranges. This detection leverages Sysmon EventID 3 logs to identify such behavior. This activity is significant as regasm.exe is a legitimate Microsoft-signed binary that can be exploited to bypass application control mechanisms. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could indicate an adversary's attempt to establish a remote Command and Control (C2) channel, potentially leading to privilege escalation and further malicious actions within the environment.
Detect Regasm with no Command Line Arguments
The following analytic detects instances of regasm.exe running without command line arguments. This behavior typically indicates process injection, where another process manipulates regasm.exe. The detection leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data, focusing on process names and command-line executions. This activity is significant as it may signal an attempt to evade detection or execute malicious code. If confirmed malicious, attackers could achieve code execution, potentially leading to privilege escalation, persistence, or access to sensitive information. Investigate network connections, parallel processes, and suspicious module loads for further context.
Detect Regsvcs Spawning a Process
The following analytic identifies regsvcs.exe spawning a child process. This behavior is detected using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is regsvcs.exe. This activity is significant because regsvcs.exe rarely spawns child processes, and such behavior can indicate an attempt to bypass application control mechanisms. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to privilege escalation or persistent access within the environment. Immediate investigation is recommended to determine the legitimacy of the spawned process and any associated suspicious activities.