Detection rules › YARA-L
WHOIS Expired Domain Accessed
Example usage of WHOIS data, detecting an executable file download from a domain that's recently expired
Rule body
// Copyright 2023 Google LLC. Licensed under Apache-2.0.
rule whois_expired_domain_accessed {
meta:
author = "Google Cloud Security"
description = "Example usage of WHOIS data, detecting an executable file download from a domain that's recently expired"
rule_id = "mr_7b487c4f-cbf9-4b11-8b25-632ada3f90a3"
rule_name = "WHOIS Expired Domain Accessed"
type = "alert"
tags = "whois"
data_source = "zscalar"
severity = "Low"
priority = "Low"
events:
$access.metadata.event_type = "NETWORK_HTTP"
$access.target.hostname = $hostname
// join access event to entity graph to use WHOIS data
$whois.graph.entity.domain.name = $hostname
// Whois domains provided by GCTI Feed
$whois.graph.metadata.entity_type = "DOMAIN_NAME"
$whois.graph.metadata.vendor_name = "WHOIS"
$whois.graph.metadata.product_name = "WHOISXMLAPI Simple Whois"
$whois.graph.metadata.source_type = "GLOBAL_CONTEXT"
// Filter out domains without expiration time
$whois.graph.entity.domain.expiration_time.seconds > 0
// Domain expired before the event
$whois.graph.entity.domain.expiration_time.seconds < $access.metadata.event_timestamp.seconds
match:
$hostname over 1h
outcome:
$risk_score = 20
$event_count = count_distinct($access.metadata.id)
//added to populate alert graph with additional context
$principal_hostname = array_distinct($access.principal.hostname)
// Commented out principal.hostname because it is already represented in graph as match variable. If match changes, can uncomment to add to results
//$target_hostname = array_distinct($access.target.hostname)
$principal_process_pid = array_distinct($access.principal.process.pid)
$principal_process_command_line = array_distinct($access.principal.process.command_line)
$principal_process_file_sha256 = array_distinct($access.principal.process.file.sha256)
$principal_process_file_full_path = array_distinct($access.principal.process.file.full_path)
$principal_process_product_specific_process_id = array_distinct($access.principal.process.product_specific_process_id)
$principal_process_parent_process_product_specific_process_id = array_distinct($access.principal.process.parent_process.product_specific_process_id)
$target_process_pid = array_distinct($access.target.process.pid)
$target_process_command_line = array_distinct($access.target.process.command_line)
$target_process_file_sha256 = array_distinct($access.target.process.file.sha256)
$target_process_file_full_path = array_distinct($access.target.process.file.full_path)
$target_process_product_specific_process_id = array_distinct($access.target.process.product_specific_process_id)
$target_process_parent_process_product_specific_process_id = array_distinct($access.target.process.parent_process.product_specific_process_id)
$principal_user_userid = array_distinct($access.principal.user.userid)
$target_user_userid = array_distinct($access.target.user.userid)
$target_url = array_distinct($access.target.url)
condition:
$access and $whois
}
YARA-L rule structure
Condition
Fires when at least one $access event in the 1h window and $whois matches entity context.
Events
$access
$whois
graph.metadata.entity_type = "DOMAIN_NAME"graph.metadata.vendor_name = "WHOIS"graph.metadata.product_name = "WHOISXMLAPI Simple Whois"graph.metadata.source_type = "GLOBAL_CONTEXT"graph.entity.domain.expiration_time.seconds > "0"
Match and correlation
Outcome
Outcome variables add context to a detection. When the rule generates an alert, $risk_score is displayed with it.
| Field | Expression |
|---|---|
risk_score | 20 |
event_count | count_distinct($access.metadata.id) |
principal_hostname | array_distinct($access.principal.hostname) |
principal_process_pid | array_distinct($access.principal.process.pid) |
principal_process_command_line | array_distinct($access.principal.process.command_line) |
principal_process_file_sha256 | array_distinct($access.principal.process.file.sha256) |
principal_process_file_full_path | array_distinct($access.principal.process.file.full_path) |
principal_process_product_specific_process_id | array_distinct($access.principal.process.product_specific_process_id) |
principal_process_parent_process_product_specific_process_id | array_distinct($access.principal.process.parent_process.product_specific_process_id) |
target_process_pid | array_distinct($access.target.process.pid) |
target_process_command_line | array_distinct($access.target.process.command_line) |
target_process_file_sha256 | array_distinct($access.target.process.file.sha256) |
target_process_file_full_path | array_distinct($access.target.process.file.full_path) |
target_process_product_specific_process_id | array_distinct($access.target.process.product_specific_process_id) |
target_process_parent_process_product_specific_process_id | array_distinct($access.target.process.parent_process.product_specific_process_id) |
principal_user_userid | array_distinct($access.principal.user.userid) |
target_user_userid | array_distinct($access.target.user.userid) |
target_url | array_distinct($access.target.url) |