Detection rules › Kusto
VMware ESXi - Root password changed
'Detects when root user password is changed.'
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Initial Access | T1078 Valid Accounts |
| Persistence | T1078 Valid Accounts, T1098 Account Manipulation, T1556 Modify Authentication Process |
| Stealth | T1078 Valid Accounts |
Rule body kusto
id: 17b0ea43-5aeb-4dc4-ac3a-be84acb8d5b7
name: VMware ESXi - Root password changed
description: |
'Detects when root user password is changed.'
severity: High
status: Available
requiredDataConnectors:
- connectorId: SyslogAma
datatypes:
- Syslog
queryFrequency: 10m
queryPeriod: 10m
triggerOperator: gt
triggerThreshold: 0
tactics:
- InitialAccess
- Persistence
- DefenseEvasion
relevantTechniques:
- T1078
- T1098
- T1556
query: |
VMwareESXi
| where SyslogMessage has_any ("password changed for root","Password was changed for account root")
| extend SrcIpAddr = extract(@'root@(\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3})', 1, SyslogMessage)
entityMappings:
- entityType: IP
fieldMappings:
- identifier: Address
columnName: SrcIpAddr
version: 1.0.0
kind: Scheduled
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: source
VMwareESXi
Stage 2: where
| where SyslogMessage has_any ("password changed for root","Password was changed for account root")
Stage 3: extend
| extend SrcIpAddr = extract(@'root@(\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3})', 1, SyslogMessage)
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 |
|---|---|---|
SyslogMessage | match |
|
Output fields
Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.
| Field | Source |
|---|---|
SrcIpAddr | extend |