Data Export From MSSQL Table Via BCP.EXE

Status: test
Severity: medium
Log source: category process_creation, product windows
Author: Omar Khaled (@beacon_exe), MahirAli Khan (in/mahiralikhan), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Source: github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects the execution of the BCP utility in order to export data from the database. Attackers were seen saving their malware to a database column or table and then later extracting it via "bcp.exe" into a file.

Known false positives

Legitimate data export operations.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Exfiltration	`T1048` Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol

Telemetry coverage

Provider	Record / event type
Sysmon	Event ID 1: Process creation

Rule body

title: Data Export From MSSQL Table Via BCP.EXE
id: c615d676-f655-46b9-b913-78729021e5d7
status: test
description: |
    Detects the execution of the BCP utility in order to export data from the database.
    Attackers were seen saving their malware to a database column or table and then later extracting it via "bcp.exe" into a file.
references:
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/bcp-utility
    - https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/61000/
    - https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/78944/
    - https://www.huntress.com/blog/attacking-mssql-servers
    - https://www.huntress.com/blog/attacking-mssql-servers-pt-ii
    - https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2024/08/07/sophos-mdr-hunt-tracks-mimic-ransomware-campaign-against-organizations-in-india/
    - https://research.nccgroup.com/2018/03/10/apt15-is-alive-and-strong-an-analysis-of-royalcli-and-royaldns/
author: Omar Khaled (@beacon_exe), MahirAli Khan (in/mahiralikhan), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2024-08-20
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.exfiltration
    - attack.t1048
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\bcp.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'BCP.exe'
    selection_cli:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ' out ' # Export data from a table
            - ' queryout ' # Export data based on a SQL query
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate data export operations.
level: medium

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: `condition`

all of selection_*

Stage 1: `selection_img`

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\bcp.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'BCP.exe'

Stage 2: `selection_cli`

selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' out '
        - ' queryout '

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.

Field	Kind	Values	Search
`CommandLine`	match	`out` `queryout`	`field:"CommandLine" kind:match`
`Image`	ends_with	`\bcp.exe`	`field:"Image" kind:ends_with value:"\bcp.exe"`
`OriginalFileName`	eq	`BCP.exe`	`field:"OriginalFileName" kind:eq value:"BCP.exe"`