Detection rules › Sigma
Arbitrary Binary Execution Using GUP Utility
Detects execution of the Notepad++ updater (gup) to launch other commands or executables
Known false positives
- Other parent binaries using GUP not currently identified
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Execution | No specific technique |
Telemetry coverage
| Provider | Record / event type |
|---|---|
| Sysmon | Event ID 1: Process creation |
| Security-Auditing | Event ID 4688: A new process has been created. |
Rule body
title: Arbitrary Binary Execution Using GUP Utility
id: d65aee4d-2292-4cea-b832-83accd6cfa43
status: test
description: Detects execution of the Notepad++ updater (gup) to launch other commands or executables
references:
- https://twitter.com/nas_bench/status/1535322445439180803
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2022-06-10
modified: 2023-03-02
tags:
- attack.execution
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection:
ParentImage|endswith: '\gup.exe'
Image|endswith: '\explorer.exe'
filter:
Image|endswith: '\explorer.exe'
CommandLine|contains: '\Notepad++\notepad++.exe'
filter_parent:
ParentImage|contains: '\Notepad++\updater\'
filter_null:
CommandLine: null
condition: selection and not 1 of filter*
falsepositives:
- Other parent binaries using GUP not currently identified
level: medium
Stages and Predicates
Stage 0: condition
selection and not 1 of filter*Stage 1: selection
selection:
ParentImage|endswith: '\gup.exe'
Image|endswith: '\explorer.exe'
Stage 2: not filter*
filter:
Image|endswith: '\explorer.exe'
CommandLine|contains: '\Notepad++\notepad++.exe'
filter_parent:
ParentImage|contains: '\Notepad++\updater\'
filter_null:
CommandLine: null
Exclusions
The rule actively suppresses these predicates.
| Field | Kind | Excluded values | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
CommandLine | match | \Notepad++\notepad++.exe | excludes:CommandLine field:"CommandLine" value:"\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" |
Image | ends_with | \explorer.exe | excludes:Image field:"Image" value:"\explorer.exe" |
CommandLine | is_null | excludes:CommandLine | |
ParentImage | match | \Notepad++\updater\ | excludes:ParentImage field:"ParentImage" value:"\Notepad++\updater\" |
Indicators
These rows show field, operator, and value matches.
| Field | Kind | Values | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
Image | ends_with |
| field:"Image" kind:ends_with value:"\explorer.exe" |
ParentImage | ends_with |
| field:"ParentImage" kind:ends_with value:"\gup.exe" |