Detection rules › Splunk

Windows PowerView Unconstrained Delegation Discovery

Status
production
Severity
medium
Group by
Guid, Name, Opcode, Path, ScriptBlockId, ScriptBlockText, dest, process_id, signature, signature_id, user_id, vendor_product
Author
Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
Source
github.com/splunk/security_content

The following analytic detects the use of PowerView commandlets to discover Windows endpoints with Kerberos Unconstrained Delegation. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104) to identify specific commands like Get-DomainComputer or Get-NetComputer with the -Unconstrained parameter. This activity is significant as it indicates potential reconnaissance efforts by adversaries or Red Teams to map out privileged delegation settings in Active Directory. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to identify high-value targets for further exploitation, potentially leading to privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
DiscoveryT1018 Remote System Discovery

Event coverage

Rule body splunk

name: Windows PowerView Unconstrained Delegation Discovery
id: fbf9e47f-e531-4fea-942d-5c95af7ed4d6
version: 11
creation_date: '2022-03-28'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects the use of PowerView commandlets to discover Windows endpoints with Kerberos Unconstrained Delegation. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104) to identify specific commands like `Get-DomainComputer` or `Get-NetComputer` with the `-Unconstrained` parameter. This activity is significant as it indicates potential reconnaissance efforts by adversaries or Red Teams to map out privileged delegation settings in Active Directory. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to identify high-value targets for further exploitation, potentially leading to privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network.
data_source:
    - Powershell Script Block Logging 4104
search: |-
    `powershell` EventCode=4104 (ScriptBlockText = "*Get-DomainComputer*" OR ScriptBlockText = "*Get-NetComputer*") AND (ScriptBlockText = "*-Unconstrained*")
      | 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)`
      | `windows_powerview_unconstrained_delegation_discovery_filter`
how_to_implement: The following  analytic requires PowerShell operational logs to be imported. Modify the powershell macro as needed to match the sourcetype or add index. This analytic is specific to 4104, or PowerShell Script Block Logging.
known_false_positives: Administrators or power users may leverage PowerView for system management or troubleshooting.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1018/
    - https://adsecurity.org/?p=1667
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/cas-isp-unconstrained-kerberos
    - https://www.ired.team/offensive-security-experiments/active-directory-kerberos-abuse/domain-compromise-via-unrestricted-kerberos-delegation
    - https://www.cyberark.com/resources/threat-research-blog/weakness-within-kerberos-delegation
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$" and "$user_id$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$" user_id = "$user_id$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$" and "$user_id$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$", "$user_id$") | 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"
finding:
    title: Suspicious PowerShell Get-DomainComputer was identified on endpoint $dest$
    entity:
        field: user_id
        type: user
        score: 50
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 50
          message: Suspicious PowerShell Get-DomainComputer was identified on endpoint $dest$
analytic_story:
    - CISA AA23-347A
    - Rhysida Ransomware
    - Active Directory Kerberos Attacks
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1018
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/T1018/windows_powerview_constrained_delegation_discovery/windows-xml.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

`powershell` EventCode=4104 (ScriptBlockText = "*Get-DomainComputer*" OR ScriptBlockText = "*Get-NetComputer*") AND (ScriptBlockText = "*-Unconstrained*")

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

| `windows_powerview_unconstrained_delegation_discovery_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.

FieldKindValues
EventCodeeq
  • 4104 corpus 268 (splunk 268)
ScriptBlockTexteq
  • "*-Unconstrained*"
  • "*Get-DomainComputer*" corpus 3 (splunk 3)
  • "*Get-NetComputer*" corpus 3 (splunk 3)