defense_evasion_proxy_execution_via_msdt.toml

[metadata]
creation_date = "2022/05/31"
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2022/05/31"

[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
description = """
Identifies potential abuse of the Microsoft Diagnostics Troubleshooting Wizard (MSDT) to proxy malicious command or binary
execution via malicious process arguments.
"""
from = "now-9m"
index = ["logs-endpoint.events.*", "winlogbeat-*", "logs-windows.*"]
language = "eql"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Suspicious Microsoft Diagnostics Wizard Execution"
references = [
    "https://twitter.com/nao_sec/status/1530196847679401984",
    "https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Msdt/",
]
risk_score = 73
rule_id = "2c3c29a4-f170-42f8-a3d8-2ceebc18eb6a"
severity = "high"
tags = ["Elastic", "Host", "Windows", "Threat Detection", "Defense Evasion"]
type = "eql"

query = '''
process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and
   (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" or process.name : "msdt.exe") and
   (
    process.args : ("IT_RebrowseForFile=*", "ms-msdt:/id", "ms-msdt:-id", "*FromBase64*") or

    (process.args : "-af" and process.args : "/skip" and 
     process.parent.name : ("explorer.exe", "cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "cscript.exe", "wscript.exe", "mshta.exe", "rundll32.exe", "regsvr32.exe") and
     process.args : ("?:\\WINDOWS\\diagnostics\\index\\PCWDiagnostic.xml", "PCWDiagnostic.xml", "?:\\Users\\Public\\*", "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\*")) or

    (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" and not process.name : "msdt.exe" and process.name != null) or

    (process.pe.original_file_name == "msdt.exe" and not process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\system32\\msdt.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\msdt.exe"))
    )
'''


[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1218"
name = "Signed Binary Proxy Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/"

[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"