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Description

The following analytic identifies the decompile parameter with the HTML Help application, HH.exe. This is a uncommon command to see ran and behavior. Most recently this was seen in a APT41 campaign where a CHM file was delivered and a script inside used a technique for running an arbitrary command in a CHM file via an ActiveX object. This unpacks an HTML help file to a specified path for launching the next stage.

  • Type: TTP
  • Product: Splunk Behavioral Analytics
  • Datamodel: Endpoint_Processes
  • Last Updated: 2022-09-02
  • Author: Michael Haag, Splunk
  • ID: 11c32b19-05a6-48a8-ab28-18dbd9ec5d50

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

ID Technique Tactic
T1218.001 Compiled HTML File Defense Evasion
T1218 System Binary Proxy Execution Defense Evasion
Kill Chain Phase
  • Exploitation
NIST
  • PR.PT
  • DE.CM
CIS20
  • CIS 3
  • CIS 5
  • CIS 16
CVE 


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| from read_ssa_enriched_events() 
| eval timestamp=parse_long(ucast(map_get(input_event, "_time"), "string", null)), cmd_line=lower(ucast(map_get(input_event, "process"), "string", null)), process_name=lower(ucast(map_get(input_event, "process_name"), "string", null)), process_path=ucast(map_get(input_event, "process_path"), "string", null), parent_process_name=ucast(map_get(input_event, "parent_process_name"), "string", null), event_id=ucast(map_get(input_event, "event_id"), "string", null) 
| where cmd_line IS NOT NULL AND process_name IS NOT NULL AND process_name="hh.exe" AND like (cmd_line, "%-decompile%")
| eval start_time=timestamp, end_time=timestamp, entities=mvappend(ucast(map_get(input_event, "dest_user_id"), "string", null), ucast(map_get(input_event, "dest_device_id"), "string", null)), body=create_map(["event_id", event_id, "cmd_line", cmd_line, "process_name", process_name, "parent_process_name", parent_process_name, "process_path", process_path]) 
| into write_ssa_detected_events();

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

:information_source: windows_system_binary_proxy_execution_compiled_html_file_decompile_filter is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Required fields

List of fields required to use this analytic.

  • _time
  • dest_device_id
  • process_name
  • parent_process_name
  • process_path
  • dest_user_id
  • process
  • cmd_line

How To Implement

To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the process name, parent process, and command-line executions from your endpoints. If you are using Sysmon, you must have at least version 6.0.4 of the Sysmon TA.

Known False Positives

False positives should be limited, filter as needed.

Associated Analytic Story

RBA

Risk Score Impact Confidence Message
90.0 100 90 $process_name$ has been identified using decompile against a CHM on $dest_device_id$ under user $dest_user_id$.

:information_source: The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

Reference

Test Dataset

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

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