Detection rules › Splunk
GetAdGroup with PowerShell Script Block
The following analytic detects the execution of the Get-AdGroup PowerShell cmdlet using PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104). This cmdlet is used to enumerate all domain groups, which adversaries may exploit for situational awareness and Active Directory discovery. Monitoring this activity is crucial as it can indicate reconnaissance efforts within the network. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to further exploitation, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement, by providing attackers with detailed information about the domain's group structure.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Discovery | T1069.002 Permission Groups Discovery: Domain Groups |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event | Title |
|---|---|---|
| PowerShell | Event ID 4104 | Creating Scriptblock text (MessageNumber of MessageTotal). |
Rule body splunk
name: GetAdGroup with PowerShell Script Block
id: e4c73d68-794b-468d-b4d0-dac1772bbae7
version: 12
creation_date: '2021-08-27'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: Hunting
description: The following analytic detects the execution of the `Get-AdGroup` PowerShell cmdlet using PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104). This cmdlet is used to enumerate all domain groups, which adversaries may exploit for situational awareness and Active Directory discovery. Monitoring this activity is crucial as it can indicate reconnaissance efforts within the network. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to further exploitation, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement, by providing attackers with detailed information about the domain's group structure.
data_source:
- Powershell Script Block Logging 4104
search: |-
`powershell` EventCode=4104 ScriptBlockText = "*Get-ADGroup*"
| fillnull
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
BY dest signature signature_id
user_id vendor_product EventID
Guid Opcode Name
Path ProcessID ScriptBlockId
ScriptBlockText
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `getadgroup_with_powershell_script_block_filter`
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this analytic, you will need to enable PowerShell Script Block Logging on some or all endpoints. Additional setup here https://help.splunk.com/en/security-offerings/splunk-user-behavior-analytics/get-data-in/5.4.1/add-other-data-to-splunk-uba/configure-powershell-logging-to-see-powershell-anomalies-in-splunk-uba.
known_false_positives: Administrators or power users may use this PowerShell commandlet for troubleshooting.
references:
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1069/002/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/activedirectory/get-adgroup?view=windowsserver2019-ps
analytic_story:
- Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters
- Active Directory Discovery
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
- T1069.002
product:
- Splunk Enterprise
- Splunk Enterprise Security
- Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
- name: True Positive Test
attack_data:
- data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1069.002/AD_discovery/windows-powershell-xml.log
source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational
sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
test_type: unit
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
`powershell` EventCode=4104 ScriptBlockText = "*Get-ADGroup*"
Stage 2: fillnull
| fillnull
Stage 3: stats
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
BY dest signature signature_id
user_id vendor_product EventID
Guid Opcode Name
Path ProcessID ScriptBlockId
ScriptBlockText
Stage 4: search
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
Stage 5: search
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
Stage 6: search
| `getadgroup_with_powershell_script_block_filter`
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.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
EventCode | eq |
|
ScriptBlockText | eq |
|