Detection rules › Sigma

Potential Process Hollowing Activity

Status
test
Severity
medium
Log source
product windows, category process_tampering
Author
Christopher Peacock '@securepeacock', SCYTHE '@scythe_io', Sittikorn S
Source
github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects when a memory process image does not match the disk image, indicative of process hollowing.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rule body yaml

title: Potential Process Hollowing Activity
id: c4b890e5-8d8c-4496-8c66-c805753817cd
status: test
description: Detects when a memory process image does not match the disk image, indicative of process hollowing.
references:
    - https://twitter.com/SecurePeacock/status/1486054048390332423?s=20
    - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-sysmon-now-detects-malware-process-tampering-attempts/
author: Christopher Peacock '@securepeacock', SCYTHE '@scythe_io', Sittikorn S
date: 2022-01-25
modified: 2023-11-28
tags:
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.stealth
    - attack.t1055.012
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: process_tampering
detection:
    selection:
        Type: 'Image is replaced'
    filter_main_generic:
        Image|contains:
            - ':\Program Files (x86)'
            - ':\Program Files\'
            - ':\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIADAP.exe'
            - ':\Windows\SysWOW64\wbem\WMIADAP.exe'
    filter_optional_opera:
        Image|contains: '\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera\'
        Image|endswith: '\opera.exe'
    filter_optional_edge:
        Image|endswith: '\WindowsApps\MicrosoftEdge.exe'
    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: medium

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: condition

selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

Stage 1: selection

selection:
    Type: 'Image is replaced'

Stage 2: not filter_main_generic

filter_main_generic:
    Image|contains:
        - ':\Program Files (x86)'
        - ':\Program Files\'
        - ':\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIADAP.exe'
        - ':\Windows\SysWOW64\wbem\WMIADAP.exe'

Stage 3: not filter_optional_*

filter_optional_opera:
    Image|contains: '\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera\'
    Image|endswith: '\opera.exe'
filter_optional_edge:
    Image|endswith: '\WindowsApps\MicrosoftEdge.exe'

Exclusions

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

FieldKindExcluded values
Imagematch:\Program Files (x86)
Imagematch:\Program Files\
Imagematch:\Windows\SysWOW64\wbem\WMIADAP.exe
Imagematch:\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIADAP.exe
Imageends_with\opera.exe
Imagematch\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera\
Imageends_with\WindowsApps\MicrosoftEdge.exe

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.

FieldKindValues
Typeeq
  • Image is replaced