Detection rules › Elastic
Windows System Network Connections Discovery
This rule identifies the execution of commands that can be used to enumerate network connections. Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of network connections to or from a compromised system to identify targets within an environment.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
Rule body elastic
[metadata]
bypass_bbr_timing = true
creation_date = "2023/07/14"
integration = ["endpoint"]
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2026/03/24"
[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
building_block_type = "default"
description = """
This rule identifies the execution of commands that can be used to enumerate network connections. Adversaries may
attempt to get a listing of network connections to or from a compromised system to identify targets within an
environment.
"""
from = "now-9m"
index = ["logs-endpoint.events.process-*"]
language = "eql"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Windows System Network Connections Discovery"
risk_score = 21
rule_id = "c4e9ed3e-55a2-4309-a012-bc3c78dad10a"
severity = "low"
tags = [
"Domain: Endpoint",
"OS: Windows",
"Use Case: Threat Detection",
"Tactic: Discovery",
"Rule Type: BBR",
"Data Source: Elastic Defend",
]
timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
type = "eql"
query = '''
process where event.type == "start" and
(
process.name : "netstat.exe" or
(
(
(process.name : "net.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net.exe") or
(
(process.name : "net1.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net1.exe") and
not process.parent.name : "net.exe"
)
) and process.args : ("use", "user", "session", "config") and not process.args: ("/persistent:*", "/delete", "\\\\*")
) or
(process.name : "nbtstat.exe" and process.args : "-s*")
) and not user.id : "S-1-5-18"
'''
[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1016"
name = "System Network Configuration Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1016/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1049"
name = "System Network Connections Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1049/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1082"
name = "System Information Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1082/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1087"
name = "Account Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1087/"
[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0007"
name = "Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0007/"
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: process
process where event.type == "start" and
(
process.name : "netstat.exe" or
(
(
(process.name : "net.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net.exe") or
(
(process.name : "net1.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net1.exe") and
not process.parent.name : "net.exe"
)
) and process.args : ("use", "user", "session", "config") and not process.args: ("/persistent:*", "/delete", "\\\\*")
) or
(process.name : "nbtstat.exe" and process.args : "-s*")
) and not user.id : "S-1-5-18"
Exclusions
Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts: predicates this rule actively suppresses.
| Field | Kind | Excluded values |
|---|---|---|
user.id | eq | S-1-5-18 |
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
event.type | eq |
|
process.args | wildcard |
|
process.name | wildcard |
|
process.pe.original_file_name | eq |
|