Detection rules › Sigma
ISO or Image Mount Indicator in Recent Files
Detects the creation of recent element file that points to an .ISO, .IMG, .VHD or .VHDX file as often used in phishing attacks. This can be a false positive on server systems but on workstations users should rarely mount .iso or .img files.
Known false positives
- Cases in which a user mounts an image file for legitimate reasons
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Initial Access |
Telemetry coverage
| Provider | Record / event type |
|---|---|
| Sysmon | Event ID 11: FileCreate |
Rule body
title: ISO or Image Mount Indicator in Recent Files
id: 4358e5a5-7542-4dcb-b9f3-87667371839b
status: test
description: |
Detects the creation of recent element file that points to an .ISO, .IMG, .VHD or .VHDX file as often used in phishing attacks.
This can be a false positive on server systems but on workstations users should rarely mount .iso or .img files.
references:
- https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/05/27/new-sophisticated-email-based-attack-from-nobelium/
- https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/malicious-spam-campaign-uses-iso-image-files-to-deliver-lokibot-and-nanocore
- https://blog.emsisoft.com/en/32373/beware-new-wave-of-malware-spreads-via-iso-file-email-attachments/
- https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/blog/the-dangers-of-vhd-and-vhdx-files/
author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
date: 2022-02-11
tags:
- attack.initial-access
- attack.t1566.001
logsource:
product: windows
category: file_event
detection:
selection:
TargetFilename|endswith:
- '.iso.lnk'
- '.img.lnk'
- '.vhd.lnk'
- '.vhdx.lnk'
TargetFilename|contains: '\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\'
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Cases in which a user mounts an image file for legitimate reasons
level: medium
Stages and Predicates
Stage 0: condition
selectionStage 1: selection
selection:
TargetFilename|endswith:
- '.iso.lnk'
- '.img.lnk'
- '.vhd.lnk'
- '.vhdx.lnk'
TargetFilename|contains: '\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\'
Indicators
These rows show field, operator, and value matches.
| Field | Kind | Values | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
TargetFilename | ends_with |
| field:"TargetFilename" kind:ends_with |
TargetFilename | match |
| field:"TargetFilename" kind:match value:"\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\" |