Lateral Movement via Startup Folder

 1[metadata]
 2creation_date = "2020/10/19"
 3integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel"]
 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 suspicious file creations in the startup folder of a remote system. An adversary could abuse this to move
13laterally by dropping a malicious script or executable that will be executed after a reboot or user logon.
14"""
15from = "now-9m"
16index = ["logs-endpoint.events.file-*", "winlogbeat-*", "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*", "endgame-*", "logs-m365_defender.event-*", "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*"]
17language = "eql"
18license = "Elastic License v2"
19name = "Lateral Movement via Startup Folder"
20references = [
21    "https://www.mdsec.co.uk/2017/06/rdpinception/",
22    "https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/hunting-for-lateral-movement-using-event-query-language",
23]
24risk_score = 73
25rule_id = "25224a80-5a4a-4b8a-991e-6ab390465c4f"
26severity = "high"
27tags = [
28    "Domain: Endpoint",
29    "OS: Windows",
30    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
31    "Tactic: Lateral Movement",
32    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
33    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
34    "Data Source: Sysmon",
35    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
36    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
37]
38timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
39type = "eql"
40
41query = '''
42file where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type in ("creation", "change") and
43
44 /* via RDP TSClient mounted share or SMB */
45  (process.name : "mstsc.exe" or process.pid == 4) and
46
47   file.path : ("?:\\Users\\*\\AppData\\Roaming\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\*",
48                "?:\\ProgramData\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\*")
49'''
50
51
52[[rule.threat]]
53framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
54[[rule.threat.technique]]
55id = "T1021"
56name = "Remote Services"
57reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1021/"
58[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
59id = "T1021.001"
60name = "Remote Desktop Protocol"
61reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1021/001/"
62
63
64
65[rule.threat.tactic]
66id = "TA0008"
67name = "Lateral Movement"
68reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0008/"
69[[rule.threat]]
70framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
71[[rule.threat.technique]]
72id = "T1547"
73name = "Boot or Logon Autostart Execution"
74reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/"
75[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
76id = "T1547.001"
77name = "Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder"
78reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/001/"
79
80
81
82[rule.threat.tactic]
83id = "TA0003"
84name = "Persistence"
85reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/"