TI Map IP Entity to VMConnection

Severity: medium
Time window: 14d
Group by: IndicatorId, RemoteIp, TI_ipEntity
Source: github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel

This query maps any IP indicators of compromise (IOCs) from threat intelligence (TI), by searching for matches in VMConnection.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Command & Control	`T1071` Application Layer Protocol

Rule body kusto

id: 9713e3c0-1410-468d-b79e-383448434b2d
name: TI Map IP Entity to VMConnection
description: |
  This query maps any IP indicators of compromise (IOCs) from threat intelligence (TI), by searching for matches in VMConnection.
severity: Medium
requiredDataConnectors:
  - connectorId: ThreatIntelligence
    dataTypes:
      - ThreatIntelligenceIndicator
  - connectorId: ThreatIntelligenceTaxii
    dataTypes:
      - ThreatIntelligenceIndicator
  - connectorId: MicrosoftDefenderThreatIntelligence
    dataTypes:
      - ThreatIntelligenceIndicator
  - connectorId: AzureMonitor(VMInsights)
    dataTypes:
      - VMConnection
queryFrequency: 1h
queryPeriod: 14d
triggerOperator: gt
triggerThreshold: 0
tactics:
  - CommandAndControl
relevantTechniques:
  - T1071
query: |
  let dt_lookBack = 1h; // Look back 1 hour for VMConnection events
  let ioc_lookBack = 14d; // Look back 14 days for threat intelligence indicators
  // Fetch threat intelligence indicators related to IP addresses
  let IP_Indicators = ThreatIntelligenceIndicator
    | where isnotempty(NetworkIP) or isnotempty(EmailSourceIpAddress) or isnotempty(NetworkDestinationIP) or isnotempty(NetworkSourceIP)
    | where TimeGenerated >= ago(ioc_lookBack)
    | extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isnotempty(NetworkIP), NetworkIP, NetworkDestinationIP)
    | extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isempty(TI_ipEntity) and isnotempty(NetworkSourceIP), NetworkSourceIP, TI_ipEntity)
    | extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isempty(TI_ipEntity) and isnotempty(EmailSourceIpAddress), EmailSourceIpAddress, TI_ipEntity)
    | where ipv4_is_private(TI_ipEntity) == false and  TI_ipEntity !startswith "fe80" and TI_ipEntity !startswith "::" and TI_ipEntity !startswith "127."
    | summarize LatestIndicatorTime = arg_max(TimeGenerated, *) by IndicatorId
    | where Active == true and ExpirationDateTime > now();
  // Perform a join between IP indicators and VMConnection events
  IP_Indicators
    // Use innerunique to keep performance fast and result set low, as we only need one match to indicate potential malicious activity that needs investigation
    | join kind=innerunique (
        VMConnection
        | where TimeGenerated >= ago(dt_lookBack)
        | extend VMConnection_TimeGenerated = TimeGenerated
    )
    on $left.TI_ipEntity == $right.RemoteIp
    // Filter out VMConnection events that occurred after the expiration of the corresponding indicator
    | where VMConnection_TimeGenerated < ExpirationDateTime
    // Group the results by IndicatorId and keep the VMConnection event with the latest timestamp
    | summarize VMConnection_TimeGenerated = arg_max(VMConnection_TimeGenerated, *) by IndicatorId, RemoteIp
    // Select the desired output fields
    | project VMConnection_TimeGenerated, Description, ActivityGroupNames, IndicatorId, ThreatType, Url, ExpirationDateTime, ConfidenceScore,
      TI_ipEntity, Computer, Direction, ProcessName, SourceIp, DestinationIp, RemoteIp, Protocol, DestinationPort, NetworkIP, NetworkDestinationIP, NetworkSourceIP, EmailSourceIpAddress, Type
    | extend timestamp = VMConnection_TimeGenerated, HostName = tostring(split(Computer, '.', 0)[0]), DnsDomain = tostring(strcat_array(array_slice(split(Computer, '.'), 1, -1), '.'))
entityMappings:
  - entityType: Host
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: HostName
        columnName: HostName
      - identifier: DnsDomain
        columnName: DnsDomain
  - entityType: IP
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: Address
        columnName: RemoteIp
  - entityType: URL
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: Url
        columnName: Url
version: 1.4.2
kind: Scheduled

Stages and Predicates

Parameters

let dt_lookBack = 1h;
let ioc_lookBack = 14d;

The stages below define let IP_Indicators (the rule's main pipeline source).

Stage 1: `source`

ThreatIntelligenceIndicator

Stage 2: `where`

| where isnotempty(NetworkIP) or isnotempty(EmailSourceIpAddress) or isnotempty(NetworkDestinationIP) or isnotempty(NetworkSourceIP)

Stage 3: `where`

| where TimeGenerated >= ago(ioc_lookBack)

Stage 4: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)

| extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isnotempty(NetworkIP), NetworkIP, NetworkDestinationIP)
| extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isempty(TI_ipEntity) and isnotempty(NetworkSourceIP), NetworkSourceIP, TI_ipEntity)
| extend TI_ipEntity = iff(isempty(TI_ipEntity) and isnotempty(EmailSourceIpAddress), EmailSourceIpAddress, TI_ipEntity)

TI_ipEntity =

ifisnotempty(NetworkIP)NetworkIP

elseNetworkDestinationIP

Stage 5: `where`

| where ipv4_is_private(TI_ipEntity) == false and  TI_ipEntity !startswith "fe80" and TI_ipEntity !startswith "::" and TI_ipEntity !startswith "127."

Stage 6: `summarize`

| summarize LatestIndicatorTime = arg_max(TimeGenerated, *) by IndicatorId

Stage 7: `where`

| where Active == true and ExpirationDateTime > now()

The stages below run on IP_Indicators (the outer pipeline).

Stage 8: `join`

IP_Indicators
| join kind=innerunique (
      VMConnection
      | where TimeGenerated >= ago(dt_lookBack)
      | extend VMConnection_TimeGenerated = TimeGenerated
  )
  on $left.TI_ipEntity == $right.RemoteIp

Stage 9: `where`

| where VMConnection_TimeGenerated < ExpirationDateTime

Stage 10: `summarize`

| summarize VMConnection_TimeGenerated = arg_max(VMConnection_TimeGenerated, *) by IndicatorId, RemoteIp

Stage 11: `project`

| project VMConnection_TimeGenerated, Description, ActivityGroupNames, IndicatorId, ThreatType, Url, ExpirationDateTime, ConfidenceScore,
    TI_ipEntity, Computer, Direction, ProcessName, SourceIp, DestinationIp, RemoteIp, Protocol, DestinationPort, NetworkIP, NetworkDestinationIP, NetworkSourceIP, EmailSourceIpAddress, Type

Stage 12: `extend`

| extend timestamp = VMConnection_TimeGenerated, HostName = tostring(split(Computer, '.', 0)[0]), DnsDomain = tostring(strcat_array(array_slice(split(Computer, '.'), 1, -1), '.'))

Exclusions

Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts: predicates this rule actively suppresses.

Field	Kind	Excluded values
`TI_ipEntity`	cidr_match	`10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12`, `192.168.0.0/16`, `169.254.0.0/16`, `127.0.0.0/8`
`TI_ipEntity`	starts_with	`127.`
`TI_ipEntity`	starts_with	`::`
`TI_ipEntity`	starts_with	`fe80`

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
`Active`	eq	`true` transforms: `cased`
`EmailSourceIpAddress`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)
`NetworkDestinationIP`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)
`NetworkIP`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)
`NetworkSourceIP`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)
`VMConnection_TimeGenerated`	lt	`ExpirationDateTime` transforms: `cased`

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
`ActivityGroupNames`	`project`
`Computer`	`project`
`ConfidenceScore`	`project`
`Description`	`project`
`DestinationIp`	`project`
`DestinationPort`	`project`
`Direction`	`project`
`EmailSourceIpAddress`	`project`
`ExpirationDateTime`	`project`
`IndicatorId`	`project`
`NetworkDestinationIP`	`project`
`NetworkIP`	`project`
`NetworkSourceIP`	`project`
`ProcessName`	`project`
`Protocol`	`project`
`RemoteIp`	`project`
`SourceIp`	`project`
`TI_ipEntity`	`project`
`ThreatType`	`project`
`Type`	`project`
`Url`	`project`
`VMConnection_TimeGenerated`	`project`
`DnsDomain`	`extend`
`HostName`	`extend`
`timestamp`	`extend`

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`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)

TI Map IP Entity to VMConnection

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Parameters

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)

Stage 5: `where`

Stage 6: `summarize`

Stage 7: `where`

Stage 8: `join`

Stage 9: `where`

Stage 10: `summarize`

Stage 11: `project`

Stage 12: `extend`

Exclusions

Indicators

Output fields

Keyboard shortcuts

Search operators

TI Map IP Entity to VMConnection

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Parameters

Stage 1: source

Stage 2: where

Stage 3: where

Stage 4: extend (3 consecutive steps)

Stage 5: where

Stage 6: summarize

Stage 7: where

Stage 8: join

Stage 9: where

Stage 10: summarize

Stage 11: project

Stage 12: extend

Exclusions

Indicators

Output fields

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)

Stage 5: `where`

Stage 6: `summarize`

Stage 7: `where`

Stage 8: `join`

Stage 9: `where`

Stage 10: `summarize`

Stage 11: `project`

Stage 12: `extend`