Detection rules › Kusto
Exchange Server Suspicious File Downloads.
'This query looks for messages related to file downloads of suspicious file types on an Exchange Server. This could indicate attempted deployment of webshells. This query uses the Exchange HttpProxy AOBGeneratorLog, you will need to onboard this log as a custom log under the table http_proxy_oab_CL before using this query. This log is commonly found at C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Logging\OABGeneratorLog on the Exchange server. Details on collecting custom logs into Sentinel can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/connect-custom-logs-ama'
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Initial Access | T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application |
Rule body kusto
id: 8955c0fb-3408-47b0-a3b9-a1faec41e427
name: Exchange Server Suspicious File Downloads.
description: |
'This query looks for messages related to file downloads of suspicious file types on an Exchange Server. This could indicate attempted deployment of webshells.
This query uses the Exchange HttpProxy AOBGeneratorLog, you will need to onboard this log as a custom log under the table http_proxy_oab_CL before using this query.
This log is commonly found at C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Logging\OABGeneratorLog on the Exchange server. Details on collecting custom logs into Sentinel
can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/connect-custom-logs-ama'
severity: Medium
requiredDataConnectors: []
queryFrequency: 1d
queryPeriod: 1d
triggerOperator: gt
triggerThreshold: 0
tactics:
- InitialAccess
relevantTechniques:
- T1190
query: |
let scriptExtensions = dynamic([".php", ".jsp", ".js", ".aspx", ".asmx", ".asax", ".cfm", ".shtml"]);
http_proxy_oab_CL
| where RawData contains "Download failed and temporary file"
| extend File = extract("([^\\\\]*)(\\\\[^']*)",2,RawData)
| extend Extension = strcat(".",split(File, ".")[-1])
| extend InteractiveFile = iif(Extension in (scriptExtensions), "Yes", "No")
// Uncomment the following line to alert only on interactive file download type
//| where InteractiveFile =~ "Yes"
| extend HostName = tostring(split(Computer, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(Computer, '.'))
| extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(Computer, DomainIndex + 1), Computer)
entityMappings:
- entityType: Host
fieldMappings:
- identifier: FullName
columnName: Computer
- identifier: HostName
columnName: HostName
- identifier: DnsDomain
columnName: HostNameDomain
version: 1.0.5
kind: Scheduled
metadata:
source:
kind: Community
author:
name: Microsoft Security Research
support:
tier: Community
categories:
domains: [ "Application" ]
Stages and Predicates
Parameters
let scriptExtensions = dynamic([".php", ".jsp", ".js", ".aspx", ".asmx", ".asax", ".cfm", ".shtml"]);
Stage 1: source
http_proxy_oab_CL
Stage 2: where
| where RawData contains "Download failed and temporary file"
Stage 3: extend (5 consecutive steps)
| extend File = extract("([^\\\\]*)(\\\\[^']*)",2,RawData)
| extend Extension = strcat(".",split(File, ".")[-1])
| extend InteractiveFile = iif(Extension in (scriptExtensions), "Yes", "No")
| extend HostName = tostring(split(Computer, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(Computer, '.'))
| extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(Computer, DomainIndex + 1), Computer)
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 |
|---|---|---|
RawData | contains |
|
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 |
|---|---|
File | extend |
Extension | extend |
InteractiveFile | extend |
DomainIndex | extend |
HostName | extend |
HostNameDomain | extend |