EXPLORE DETECTIONS
Windows Process Injection into Commonly Abused Processes
The following analytic detects process injection into executables that are commonly abused using Sysmon EventCode 10. It identifies suspicious GrantedAccess requests (0x40 and 0x1fffff) to processes such as notepad.exe, wordpad.exe and calc.exe, excluding common system paths like System32, Syswow64, and Program Files. This behavior is often associated with the SliverC2 framework by BishopFox. Monitoring this activity is crucial as it may indicate an initial payload attempting to execute malicious code. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to privilege escalation or persistent access within the environment.
Windows Process Injection into Notepad
The following analytic detects process injection into Notepad.exe using Sysmon EventCode 10. It identifies suspicious GrantedAccess requests (0x40 and 0x1fffff) to Notepad.exe, excluding common system paths like System32, Syswow64, and Program Files. This behavior is often associated with the SliverC2 framework by BishopFox. Monitoring this activity is crucial as it may indicate an initial payload attempting to execute malicious code within Notepad.exe. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to privilege escalation or persistent access within the environment.
Windows Process Injection Of Wermgr to Known Browser
The following analytic identifies the suspicious remote thread execution of the wermgr.exe process into known browsers such as firefox.exe, chrome.exe, and others. It leverages Sysmon EventCode 8 logs to detect this behavior by monitoring SourceImage and TargetImage fields. This activity is significant because it is indicative of Qakbot malware, which injects malicious code into legitimate processes to steal information. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, and exfiltrate sensitive data from the compromised host.
Windows Process Injection Remote Thread
The following analytic detects suspicious remote thread execution in processes such as Taskmgr.exe, calc.exe, and notepad.exe, which may indicate process injection by malware like Qakbot. This detection leverages Sysmon EventCode 8 to identify remote thread creation in specific target processes. This activity is significant as it often signifies an attempt by malware to inject malicious code into legitimate processes, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or maintain persistence on the compromised host.
Windows Process Injection Wermgr Child Process
The following analytic identifies a suspicious instance of wermgr.exe spawning a child process unrelated to error or fault handling. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process relationships and command-line executions. This activity is significant as it can indicate Qakbot malware, which injects malicious code into wermgr.exe to evade detection and execute malicious actions. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow an attacker to conduct reconnaissance, execute arbitrary code, and persist within the network, posing a severe security risk.
Windows Process Injection With Public Source Path
The following analytic detects a process from a non-standard file path on Windows attempting to create a remote thread in another process. This is identified using Sysmon EventCode 8, focusing on processes not originating from typical system directories. This behavior is significant as it often indicates process injection, a technique used by adversaries to evade detection or escalate privileges. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within another process, potentially leading to unauthorized actions and further compromise of the system.
Windows Process With NamedPipe CommandLine
The following analytic detects processes with command lines containing named pipes. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process command-line executions. This behavior is significant as it is often used by adversaries, such as those behind the Olympic Destroyer malware, for inter-process communication post-injection, aiding in defense evasion and privilege escalation. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow attackers to maintain persistence, escalate privileges, or evade defenses, potentially leading to further compromise of the system.
Windows Process With NetExec Command Line Parameters
The following analytic detects the use of NetExec (formally CrackmapExec) a toolset used for post-exploitation enumeration and attack within Active Directory environments through command line parameters. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data to identify specific command-line arguments associated with actions like ticket manipulation, kerberoasting, and password spraying. This activity is significant as NetExec is used by adversaries to exploit Kerberos for privilege escalation and lateral movement. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized access, persistence, and potential compromise of sensitive information within the network.
Windows Process Writing File to World Writable Path
The following analytic identifies a process writing a .txt file to a world writable path. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on file creation events within specific directories. This activity is significant as adversaries often use such techniques to deliver payloads to a system, which is uncommon for legitimate processes. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or maintain persistence within the environment, posing a significant security risk.
Windows Processes Killed By Industroyer2 Malware
The following analytic detects the termination of specific processes by the Industroyer2 malware. It leverages Sysmon EventCode 5 to identify when processes like "PServiceControl.exe" and "PService_PPD.exe" are killed. This activity is significant as it targets processes related to energy facility networks, indicating a potential attack on critical infrastructure. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to disruption of essential services, loss of control over energy systems, and significant operational impact. Immediate investigation is required to determine the cause and mitigate any potential threats.
Windows Product Key Registry Query
This Analytic detects the execution of a process attempting to access the registry for product key recovery purposes. This behavior could be significant as it might indicate potential malware activity or attempts to bypass security measures or data exfiltration.
Windows Protocol Tunneling with Plink
This analytic detects the use of Plink (including renamed versions like pvhost.exe) for protocol tunneling, which may be used for egress or lateral movement within an organization. It identifies specific command-line options (-R, -L, -D, -l, -N, -P, -pw) commonly used for port forwarding and tunneling by analyzing process execution logs from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to bypass network security controls or establish unauthorized connections. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to exfiltrate data, move laterally across the network, or maintain persistent access, posing a severe threat to the organization's security. The detection covers both the original Plink executable and potential renamed versions, enhancing its ability to catch evasion attempts.
Windows Proxy Via Netsh
The following analytic identifies the use of netsh.exe to configure a connection proxy, which can be leveraged for persistence by executing a helper DLL. It detects this activity by analyzing process creation events from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on command-line executions involving "portproxy" and "v4tov4" parameters. This activity is significant because it indicates potential unauthorized network configuration changes, which could be used to maintain persistence or redirect network traffic. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to maintain covert access or manipulate network communications, posing a significant security risk.
Windows Proxy Via Registry
The following analytic detects the modification of registry keys related to the Windows Proxy settings via netsh.exe. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry data model, focusing on changes to the registry path "*\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\PortProxy\\v4tov4\\tcp*". This activity is significant because netsh.exe can be used to establish a persistent proxy, potentially allowing an attacker to execute a helper DLL whenever netsh.exe runs. If confirmed malicious, this could enable the attacker to maintain persistence, manipulate network configurations, and potentially exfiltrate data or further compromise the system.
Windows PsTools Recon Usage
The following analytic identifies execution of Sysinternals PsTools and Sysinternals Suit binaries that are commonly used for reconnaissance and information gathering on Windows endpoints. PsTools (PsExec, PsFile, PsGetSid, PsInfo, PsPing, etc.) or Sysinternals Suit tools, are frequently used by administrators for legitimate maintenance but are also leveraged by threat actors to collect system, account, network and service information during discovery and lateral movement. This detection focuses on process execution and PE metadata telemetry (OriginalFileName). If confirmed malicious, this activity can indicate targeted reconnaissance and foothold escalation, enabling subsequent lateral movement or credential abuse.
Windows PUA Named Pipe
The following analytic detects the creation or connection to named pipes used by potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) like VPNs or utilities like PsExec. It leverages Sysmon EventCodes 17 and 18. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to abuse these to potentially gain persistence, command and control, or further system compromise.
Windows Query Registry Browser List Application
The following analytic detects a suspicious process accessing the registry entries for default internet browsers. It leverages Windows Security Event logs, specifically event code 4663, to identify access attempts to these registry paths. This activity is significant because adversaries can exploit this registry key to gather information about installed browsers and their settings, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive data such as login credentials and browsing history. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could enable attackers to exfiltrate sensitive information and compromise user accounts.
Windows Query Registry UnInstall Program List
The following analytic detects an access request on the uninstall registry key. It leverages Windows Security Event logs, specifically event code 4663. This activity is significant because adversaries or malware can exploit this key to gather information about installed applications, aiding in further attacks. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow attackers to map out installed software, potentially identifying vulnerabilities or software to exploit, leading to further system compromise.
Windows Raccine Scheduled Task Deletion
The following analytic identifies the deletion of the Raccine Rules Updater scheduled task using the `schtasks.exe` command. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names and command-line executions. This activity is significant because adversaries may delete this task to disable Raccine, a tool designed to prevent ransomware attacks. If confirmed malicious, this action could allow ransomware to execute without interference, leading to potential data encryption and loss.
Windows Rapid Authentication On Multiple Hosts
The following analytic detects a source computer authenticating to 30 or more remote endpoints within a 5-minute timespan using Event ID 4624. This behavior is identified by analyzing Windows Event Logs for LogonType 3 events and counting unique target computers. Such activity is significant as it may indicate lateral movement or network share enumeration by an adversary. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized access to multiple systems, potentially compromising sensitive data and escalating privileges within the network.
Windows Rasautou DLL Execution
The following analytic detects the execution of an arbitrary DLL by the Windows Remote Auto Dialer (rasautou.exe). This behavior is identified by analyzing process creation events where rasautou.exe is executed with specific command-line arguments. This activity is significant because it leverages a Living Off The Land Binary (LOLBin) to execute potentially malicious code, bypassing traditional security controls. If confirmed malicious, this technique could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise, privilege escalation, or persistent access within the environment.
Windows Raw Access To Disk Volume Partition
The following analytic detects suspicious raw access reads to the device disk partition of a host machine. It leverages Sysmon EventCode 9 logs to identify processes attempting to read or write to the boot sector, excluding legitimate system processes. This activity is significant as it is commonly associated with destructive actions by adversaries, such as wiping, encrypting, or overwriting the boot sector, as seen in attacks involving malware like HermeticWiper. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to severe impacts, including system inoperability, data loss, or compromised boot integrity.
Windows Raw Access To Master Boot Record Drive
The following analytic detects suspicious raw access reads to the drive containing the Master Boot Record (MBR). It leverages Sysmon EventCode 9 to identify processes attempting to read or write to the MBR sector, excluding legitimate system processes. This activity is significant because adversaries often target the MBR to wipe, encrypt, or overwrite it as part of their impact payload. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to system instability, data loss, or a complete system compromise, severely impacting the organization's operations.
Windows Rdp AutomaticDestinations Deletion
This detection identifies the deletion of files within the AutomaticDestinations folder, located under a user’s AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent directory. These files are part of the Windows Jump List feature, which records recently accessed files and folders tied to specific applications. Each .automaticDestinations-ms file corresponds to a program (e.g., Explorer, Word, Notepad) and can be valuable for forensic analysis of user activity. Adversaries may target this folder to erase evidence of their actions, such as which documents or directories were accessed during a session. This type of deletion is rarely seen during normal user activity and may indicate deliberate anti-forensic behavior. When correlated with suspicious logon events, RDP usage, or script execution, this activity may represent an attempt to cover tracks after data access, lateral movement, or staging for exfiltration. Detecting removal of these artifacts can highlight post-compromise cleanup efforts and help analysts reconstruct attacker behavior.