Windows Azure Storage Utility Execution Via CLI

name: Windows Azure Storage Utility Execution Via CLI
id: 980648f3-f4cc-4d56-86cf-0d6e7aa5d34e
version: 2
creation_date: '2021-05-07'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Raven Tait, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: |-
    This analytic detects the execution of Azure Storage utilities such as AzCopy and Storage Explorer via the CLI.
    These tools enable large-scale data transfers over trusted cloud channels, allowing malicious activity to blend with legitimate traffic and evade traditional network defenses.
    Adversaries may leverage them post-compromise to stage or extract sensitive data from endpoints.
    While legitimate administrative use is expected, anomalous execution patterns, unexpected users, or unusual parent processes should be treated as potential indicators of compromise and investigated promptly.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search: |-
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
      count min(_time) as firstTime
            max(_time) as lastTime
    
    from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where
    
    Processes.process_name IN (
        "AzCopy.exe",
        "StorageExplorer.exe"
    )
    
    by Processes.process Processes.vendor_product Processes.user_id
       Processes.process_hash Processes.parent_process_name
       Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.action Processes.dest
       Processes.process_current_directory Processes.process_path
       Processes.process_integrity_level Processes.original_file_name
       Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_path
       Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id
       Processes.process_guid Processes.process_id
       Processes.user Processes.process_name
    
    | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
    | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
    | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
    | `windows_azure_storage_utility_execution_via_cli_filter`
how_to_implement: The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives: Legitimate IT operations and cloud administrators frequently use Windows Azure Storage Tools for data management and backups. Investigate unexpected usage to rule out unauthorized access or exfiltration.
references:
    - https://blog.talosintelligence.com/emerging-interlock-ransomware/
drilldown_searches:
    - earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
      name: View the detection results for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  user = "$user$" dest = "$dest$"'
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$", "$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
          message: Azure storage utility $process_name$ executed by $parent_process_name$ on $dest$ via commandline $process$.
threat_objects:
    - field: parent_process_name
      type: parent_process_name
    - field: process
      type: process
    - field: process_name
      type: process_name
analytic_story:
    - Data Exfiltration
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1567.002
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/T1567.002/snapattack/snapattack.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit