Program Files Directory Masquerading

 1[metadata]
 2creation_date = "2020/11/18"
 3integration = ["endpoint", "windows"]
 4maturity = "production"
 5min_stack_comments = "New fields added: required_fields, related_integrations, setup"
 6min_stack_version = "8.3.0"
 7updated_date = "2024/03/28"
 8
 9[rule]
10author = ["Elastic"]
11description = """
12Identifies execution from a directory masquerading as the Windows Program Files directories. These paths are trusted and
13usually host trusted third party programs. An adversary may leverage masquerading, along with low privileges to bypass
14detections allowlisting those folders.
15"""
16from = "now-9m"
17index = ["winlogbeat-*", "logs-endpoint.events.process-*", "logs-windows.*", "endgame-*", "logs-system.security*"]
18language = "eql"
19license = "Elastic License v2"
20name = "Program Files Directory Masquerading"
21risk_score = 47
22rule_id = "32c5cf9c-2ef8-4e87-819e-5ccb7cd18b14"
23setup = """## Setup
24
25If enabling an EQL rule on a non-elastic-agent index (such as beats) for versions <8.2,
26events will not define `event.ingested` and default fallback for EQL rules was not added until version 8.2.
27Hence for this rule to work effectively, users will need to add a custom ingest pipeline to populate
28`event.ingested` to @timestamp.
29For more details on adding a custom ingest pipeline refer - https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/fleet/current/data-streams-pipeline-tutorial.html
30"""
31severity = "medium"
32tags = ["Domain: Endpoint", "OS: Windows", "Use Case: Threat Detection", "Tactic: Defense Evasion", "Data Source: Elastic Endgame", "Data Source: Elastic Defend"]
33timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
34type = "eql"
35
36query = '''
37process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
38  process.executable : "C:\\*Program*Files*\\*.exe" and
39  not process.executable : (
40        "?:\\Program Files\\*.exe",
41        "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe",
42        "?:\\Users\\*.exe",
43        "?:\\ProgramData\\*.exe",
44        "?:\\Windows\\Downloaded Program Files\\*.exe",
45        "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\.opera\\????????????\\CProgram?FilesOpera*\\*.exe",
46        "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\.opera\\????????????\\CProgram?Files?(x86)Opera*\\*.exe"
47  )
48'''
49
50
51[[rule.threat]]
52framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
53[[rule.threat.technique]]
54id = "T1036"
55name = "Masquerading"
56reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1036/"
57[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
58id = "T1036.005"
59name = "Match Legitimate Name or Location"
60reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1036/005/"
61
62
63
64[rule.threat.tactic]
65id = "TA0005"
66name = "Defense Evasion"
67reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"