Control Panel Process with Unusual Arguments

 1[metadata]
 2creation_date = "2021/09/08"
 3integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
 4maturity = "production"
 5updated_date = "2024/10/31"
 6min_stack_version = "8.14.0"
 7min_stack_comments = "Breaking change at 8.14.0 for the Windows Integration."
 8
 9[rule]
10author = ["Elastic"]
11description = """
12Identifies unusual instances of Control Panel with suspicious keywords or paths in the process command line value.
13Adversaries may abuse control.exe to proxy execution of malicious code.
14"""
15from = "now-9m"
16index = [
17    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
18    "winlogbeat-*",
19    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
20    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
21    "endgame-*",
22    "logs-system.security*",
23    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
24    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
25    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
26]
27language = "eql"
28license = "Elastic License v2"
29name = "Control Panel Process with Unusual Arguments"
30references = ["https://www.joesandbox.com/analysis/476188/1/html"]
31risk_score = 73
32rule_id = "416697ae-e468-4093-a93d-59661fa619ec"
33severity = "high"
34tags = [
35    "Domain: Endpoint",
36    "OS: Windows",
37    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
38    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
39    "Tactic: Execution",
40    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
41    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
42    "Data Source: System",
43    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
44    "Data Source: Sysmon",
45    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
46    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
47]
48timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
49type = "eql"
50
51query = '''
52process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
53  process.name : "control.exe" and 
54  process.command_line : (
55    "*.jpg*", "*.png*",
56    "*.gif*", "*.bmp*",
57    "*.jpeg*", "*.TIFF*",
58    "*.inf*", "*.cpl:*/*",
59    "*../../..*",
60    "*/AppData/Local/*",
61    "*:\\Users\\Public\\*",
62    "*\\AppData\\Local\\*"
63)
64'''
65
66
67[[rule.threat]]
68framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
69[[rule.threat.technique]]
70id = "T1218"
71name = "System Binary Proxy Execution"
72reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/"
73[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
74id = "T1218.002"
75name = "Control Panel"
76reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/002/"
77
78
79
80[rule.threat.tactic]
81id = "TA0005"
82name = "Defense Evasion"
83reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"