Unusual Windows Path Activity

  1[metadata]
  2creation_date = "2020/03/25"
  3integration = ["endpoint", "windows"]
  4maturity = "production"
  5updated_date = "2024/10/28"
  6min_stack_version = "8.14.0"
  7min_stack_comments = "Breaking change at 8.14.0 for the Windows Integration."
  8
  9[rule]
 10anomaly_threshold = 50
 11author = ["Elastic"]
 12description = """
 13Identifies processes started from atypical folders in the file system, which might indicate malware execution or
 14persistence mechanisms. In corporate Windows environments, software installation is centrally managed and it is unusual
 15for programs to be executed from user or temporary directories. Processes executed from these locations can denote that
 16a user downloaded software directly from the Internet or a malicious script or macro executed malware.
 17"""
 18false_positives = [
 19    """
 20    A new and unusual program or artifact download in the course of software upgrades, debugging, or troubleshooting
 21    could trigger this alert. Users downloading and running programs from unusual locations, such as temporary
 22    directories, browser caches, or profile paths could trigger this alert.
 23    """,
 24]
 25from = "now-45m"
 26interval = "15m"
 27license = "Elastic License v2"
 28machine_learning_job_id = ["v3_windows_anomalous_path_activity"]
 29name = "Unusual Windows Path Activity"
 30setup = """## Setup
 31
 32This rule requires the installation of associated Machine Learning jobs, as well as data coming in from one of the following integrations:
 33- Elastic Defend
 34- Windows
 35
 36### Anomaly Detection Setup
 37
 38Once the rule is enabled, the associated Machine Learning job will start automatically. You can view the Machine Learning job linked under the "Definition" panel of the detection rule. If the job does not start due to an error, the issue must be resolved for the job to commence successfully. For more details on setting up anomaly detection jobs, refer to the [helper guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/current/xpack-ml-anomalies.html).
 39
 40### Elastic Defend Integration Setup
 41Elastic Defend is integrated into the Elastic Agent using Fleet. Upon configuration, the integration allows the Elastic Agent to monitor events on your host and send data to the Elastic Security app.
 42
 43#### Prerequisite Requirements:
 44- Fleet is required for Elastic Defend.
 45- To configure Fleet Server refer to the [documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/fleet/current/fleet-server.html).
 46
 47#### The following steps should be executed in order to add the Elastic Defend integration to your system:
 48- Go to the Kibana home page and click "Add integrations".
 49- In the query bar, search for "Elastic Defend" and select the integration to see more details about it.
 50- Click "Add Elastic Defend".
 51- Configure the integration name and optionally add a description.
 52- Select the type of environment you want to protect, either "Traditional Endpoints" or "Cloud Workloads".
 53- Select a configuration preset. Each preset comes with different default settings for Elastic Agent, you can further customize these later by configuring the Elastic Defend integration policy. [Helper guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/configure-endpoint-integration-policy.html).
 54- We suggest selecting "Complete EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response)" as a configuration setting, that provides "All events; all preventions"
 55- Enter a name for the agent policy in "New agent policy name". If other agent policies already exist, you can click the "Existing hosts" tab and select an existing policy instead.
 56For more details on Elastic Agent configuration settings, refer to the [helper guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/fleet/current/agent-policy.html).
 57- Click "Save and Continue".
 58- To complete the integration, select "Add Elastic Agent to your hosts" and continue to the next section to install the Elastic Agent on your hosts.
 59For more details on Elastic Defend refer to the [helper guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/install-endpoint.html).
 60
 61### Windows Integration Setup
 62The Windows integration allows you to monitor the Windows OS, services, applications, and more.
 63
 64#### The following steps should be executed in order to add the Elastic Agent System integration "windows" to your system:
 65- Go to the Kibana home page and click “Add integrations”.
 66- In the query bar, search for “Windows” and select the integration to see more details about it.
 67- Click “Add Windows”.
 68- Configure the integration name and optionally add a description.
 69- Review optional and advanced settings accordingly.
 70- Add the newly installed “windows” to an existing or a new agent policy, and deploy the agent on your system from which windows log files are desirable.
 71- Click “Save and Continue”.
 72- For more details on the integration refer to the [helper guide](https://docs.elastic.co/integrations/windows).
 73"""
 74references = ["https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/prebuilt-ml-jobs.html"]
 75risk_score = 21
 76rule_id = "445a342e-03fb-42d0-8656-0367eb2dead5"
 77severity = "low"
 78tags = [
 79    "Domain: Endpoint",
 80    "OS: Windows",
 81    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
 82    "Rule Type: ML",
 83    "Rule Type: Machine Learning",
 84    "Tactic: Persistence",
 85    "Tactic: Execution",
 86]
 87type = "machine_learning"
 88[[rule.threat]]
 89framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
 90[[rule.threat.technique]]
 91id = "T1543"
 92name = "Create or Modify System Process"
 93reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/"
 94[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
 95id = "T1543.003"
 96name = "Windows Service"
 97reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/003/"
 98
 99
100
101[rule.threat.tactic]
102id = "TA0003"
103name = "Persistence"
104reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/"
105[[rule.threat]]
106framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
107[[rule.threat.technique]]
108id = "T1204"
109name = "User Execution"
110reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/"
111[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
112id = "T1204.002"
113name = "Malicious File"
114reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/002/"
115
116
117
118[rule.threat.tactic]
119id = "TA0002"
120name = "Execution"
121reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"