Windows PowerShell Invoke-RestMethod IP Information Collection

name: Windows PowerShell Invoke-RestMethod IP Information Collection
id: 8db47e12-9c3e-4f5a-b0d6-e42a1895cd4f
version: 7
creation_date: '2025-04-17'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects the use of PowerShell's Invoke-RestMethod cmdlet to collect geolocation data from ipinfo.io or IP address information from api.ipify.org. This behavior leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging to identify scripts that gather external IP information and potential geolocation data. This activity is significant as it may indicate reconnaissance efforts, where threat actors are attempting to determine the geographical location or network details of a compromised system. While some legitimate software may use these services, this pattern is commonly observed in malware and post-exploitation toolkits like those used by Water Gamayun threat actors.
data_source:
    - Powershell Script Block Logging 4104
search: |-
    `powershell` EventCode=4104 (ScriptBlockText="*Invoke-RestMethod*" AND (ScriptBlockText="*ipinfo.io*" OR ScriptBlockText="*api.ipify.org*"))
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY dest signature signature_id
           user_id vendor_product Guid
           Opcode Name Path
           ProcessID ScriptBlockId ScriptBlockText
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `windows_powershell_invoke_restmethod_ip_information_collection_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: Some legitimate applications or administrative scripts may use these services for IP validation or geolocation. Filter as needed for approved administrative tools.
references:
    - https://securityintelligence.com/posts/new-threat-actor-water-gamayun-targets-telecom-finance/
    - https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-12th-april-2024
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | 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: A PowerShell script on $dest$ is collecting external IP or geolocation information using Invoke-RestMethod.
analytic_story:
    - Water Gamayun
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1082
    - T1016
    - T1059.001
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/T1059.001/atomic_red_team/irm_powershell.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit