Suspicious Microsoft Diagnostics Wizard Execution

 1[metadata]
 2creation_date = "2022/05/31"
 3integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "m365_defender"]
 4maturity = "production"
 5updated_date = "2024/10/15"
 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 potential abuse of the Microsoft Diagnostics Troubleshooting Wizard (MSDT) to proxy malicious command or
13binary execution via malicious process arguments.
14"""
15from = "now-9m"
16index = ["logs-endpoint.events.process-*", "winlogbeat-*", "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*", "endgame-*", "logs-m365_defender.event-*"]
17language = "eql"
18license = "Elastic License v2"
19name = "Suspicious Microsoft Diagnostics Wizard Execution"
20references = [
21    "https://twitter.com/nao_sec/status/1530196847679401984",
22    "https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Msdt/",
23]
24risk_score = 73
25rule_id = "2c3c29a4-f170-42f8-a3d8-2ceebc18eb6a"
26severity = "high"
27tags = [
28    "Domain: Endpoint",
29    "OS: Windows",
30    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
31    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
32    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
33    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
34    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
35    "Data Source: Sysmon",
36]
37timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
38type = "eql"
39
40query = '''
41process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
42   (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" or process.name : "msdt.exe") and
43   (
44    process.args : ("IT_RebrowseForFile=*", "ms-msdt:/id", "ms-msdt:-id", "*FromBase64*") or
45
46    (process.args : "-af" and process.args : "/skip" and
47     process.parent.name : ("explorer.exe", "cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "cscript.exe", "wscript.exe", "mshta.exe", "rundll32.exe", "regsvr32.exe") and
48     process.args : ("?:\\WINDOWS\\diagnostics\\index\\PCWDiagnostic.xml", "PCWDiagnostic.xml", "?:\\Users\\Public\\*", "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\*")) or
49
50    (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" and not process.name : "msdt.exe" and process.name != null) or
51
52    (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" and not process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\system32\\msdt.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\msdt.exe"))
53    )
54'''
55
56
57[[rule.threat]]
58framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
59[[rule.threat.technique]]
60id = "T1218"
61name = "System Binary Proxy Execution"
62reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/"
63
64
65[rule.threat.tactic]
66id = "TA0005"
67name = "Defense Evasion"
68reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"