Detection rules › Elastic

Inhibit System Recovery via Signed Binary Proxy

Source
github.com/elastic/protections-artifacts

Identifies the execution of Windows utilities to tamper with system recovery settings. Adversaries may delete or remove built-in operating system data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system and prevent recovery.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Rule body

[rule]
description = """
Identifies the execution of Windows utilities to tamper with system recovery settings. Adversaries may delete or remove
built-in operating system data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system and prevent
recovery.
"""
id = "740ad26d-3e67-47e1-aff1-adb47a697375"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Inhibit System Recovery via Signed Binary Proxy"
os_list = ["windows"]
version = "1.0.32"

query = '''
process where event.action == "start" and
  descendant of [process where event.action == "start" and
                 process.name:
                    (
					 "rundll32.exe",
					 "cscript.exe",
					 "wscript.exe",
					 "regsvr32.exe",
					 "regasm.exe",
					 "regsvcs.exe",
					 "installutil.exe",
					 "mshta.exe",
					 "cmstp.exe",
					 "msxsl.exe",
					 "Microsoft.Workflow.Compiler.exe",
					 "ieexec.exe",
					 "iexpress.exe"
					 )]
  and
  (
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "wmic.exe" and process.command_line : "*shadowcopy*" and
	 process.command_line : "*delete*") or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "vssadmin.exe" and process.command_line : "*shadows*" and
	 process.command_line : ("*delete*", "*resize*401*")) or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "bcdedit.exe" and process.command_line : ("*bootstatuspolicy*", "*recoveryenabled*")) or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "wbadmin.exe" and process.command_line : ("*catalog*", "*systemstatebackup*") and process.command_line : "*delete*")
  ) and
  not (process.name : "vssadmin.exe" and process.args : "Resize" and process.parent.executable : "?:\\Program Files\\Geni\\Insights\\GsAgent.exe")
'''

min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[optional_actions]]
action = "rollback"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1059"
name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1059.005"
name = "Visual Basic"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/005/"



[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"
[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1216"
name = "System Script Proxy Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1216/"

[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1218"
name = "System Binary Proxy Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.003"
name = "CMSTP"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/003/"

[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.004"
name = "InstallUtil"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/004/"

[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.005"
name = "Mshta"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/005/"

[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.009"
name = "Regsvcs/Regasm"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/009/"

[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.010"
name = "Regsvr32"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/010/"

[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1218.011"
name = "Rundll32"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/011/"


[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1220"
name = "XSL Script Processing"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1220/"


[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1490"
name = "Inhibit System Recovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1490/"


[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0040"
name = "Impact"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0040/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: process

process where event.action == "start" and
  descendant of [process where event.action == "start" and
                 process.name:
                    (
					 "rundll32.exe",
					 "cscript.exe",
					 "wscript.exe",
					 "regsvr32.exe",
					 "regasm.exe",
					 "regsvcs.exe",
					 "installutil.exe",
					 "mshta.exe",
					 "cmstp.exe",
					 "msxsl.exe",
					 "Microsoft.Workflow.Compiler.exe",
					 "ieexec.exe",
					 "iexpress.exe"
					 )]
  and
  (
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "wmic.exe" and process.command_line : "*shadowcopy*" and
	 process.command_line : "*delete*") or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "vssadmin.exe" and process.command_line : "*shadows*" and
	 process.command_line : ("*delete*", "*resize*401*")) or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "bcdedit.exe" and process.command_line : ("*bootstatuspolicy*", "*recoveryenabled*")) or
    (process.pe.original_file_name : "wbadmin.exe" and process.command_line : ("*catalog*", "*systemstatebackup*") and process.command_line : "*delete*")
  ) and
  not (process.name : "vssadmin.exe" and process.args : "Resize" and process.parent.executable : "?:\\Program Files\\Geni\\Insights\\GsAgent.exe")

Exclusions

The rule actively suppresses these predicates.

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.

FieldKindValuesSearch
event.actioneq
  • start corpus 391 (elastic 391)
field:"EventType" kind:eq value:"start"
process.command_linewildcard
  • *bootstatuspolicy* corpus 10 (elastic 8, sigma 1, splunk 1)
  • *catalog* corpus 12 (elastic 8, sigma 3, splunk 1)
  • *delete* corpus 31 (sigma 16, elastic 8, splunk 6, kusto 1)
  • *recoveryenabled* corpus 10 (elastic 8, sigma 1, splunk 1)
  • *resize*401* corpus 2 (elastic 2)
  • *shadowcopy* corpus 13 (elastic 7, sigma 3, splunk 3)
  • *shadows* corpus 11 (elastic 8, sigma 3)
  • *systemstatebackup* corpus 8 (elastic 8)
field:"CommandLine" kind:wildcard
process.pe.original_file_namewildcard
  • bcdedit.exe corpus 13 (elastic 11, sigma 2)
  • vssadmin.exe corpus 12 (elastic 9, sigma 3)
  • wbadmin.exe corpus 19 (elastic 11, sigma 6, splunk 2)
  • wmic.exe corpus 80 (sigma 38, elastic 24, splunk 18)
field:"OriginalFileName" kind:wildcard