HackTool - SharpWSUS/WSUSpendu Execution

Status: test
Severity: high
Log source: category process_creation, product windows
Author: @Kostastsale, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Source: github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects the execution of SharpWSUS or WSUSpendu, utilities that allow for lateral movement through WSUS. Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a critical component of Windows systems and is frequently configured in a way that allows an attacker to circumvent internal networking limitations.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Lateral Movement	`T1210` Exploitation of Remote Services

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: HackTool - SharpWSUS/WSUSpendu Execution
id: b0ce780f-10bd-496d-9067-066d23dc3aa5
status: test
description: |
    Detects the execution of SharpWSUS or WSUSpendu, utilities that allow for lateral movement through WSUS.
    Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a critical component of Windows systems and is frequently configured in a way that allows an attacker to circumvent internal networking limitations.
references:
    - https://labs.nettitude.com/blog/introducing-sharpwsus/
    - https://github.com/nettitude/SharpWSUS
    - https://web.archive.org/web/20210512154016/https://github.com/AlsidOfficial/WSUSpendu/blob/master/WSUSpendu.ps1
author: '@Kostastsale, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)'
date: 2022-10-07
modified: 2024-08-23
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.lateral-movement
    - attack.t1210
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: process_creation
detection:
    selection_wsuspendu_inject:
        CommandLine|contains: ' -Inject '
    selection_wsuspendu_payload:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ' -PayloadArgs '
            - ' -PayloadFile '
    selection_sharpwsus_commands:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ' approve '
            - ' create '
            - ' check '
            - ' delete '
    selection_sharpwsus_flags:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ' /payload:'
            - ' /payload='
            - ' /updateid:'
            - ' /updateid='
    condition: all of selection_wsuspendu_* or all of selection_sharpwsus_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: high

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: `condition`

all of selection_wsuspendu_* or all of selection_sharpwsus_*

Stage 1: `selection_wsuspendu_inject`

selection_wsuspendu_inject:
    CommandLine|contains: ' -Inject '

Stage 2: `selection_wsuspendu_payload`

selection_wsuspendu_payload:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' -PayloadArgs '
        - ' -PayloadFile '

Stage 3: `selection_sharpwsus_commands`

selection_sharpwsus_commands:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' approve '
        - ' create '
        - ' check '
        - ' delete '

Stage 4: `selection_sharpwsus_flags`

selection_sharpwsus_flags:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' /payload:'
        - ' /payload='
        - ' /updateid:'
        - ' /updateid='

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.

Field	Kind	Values	Search
`CommandLine`	match	`-Inject` `-PayloadArgs` `-PayloadFile` `/payload:` `/payload=` `/updateid:` `/updateid=` `approve` `check` `create` corpus 3 (sigma 2, splunk 1) `delete` corpus 5 (sigma 4, splunk 1)	`field:"CommandLine" kind:match`

HackTool - SharpWSUS/WSUSpendu Execution

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Telemetry coverage

Rule body

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: condition

Stage 1: selection_wsuspendu_inject

Stage 2: selection_wsuspendu_payload