Detection: Dump LSASS via procdump

Description

The following analytic detects the use of procdump.exe to dump the LSASS process, specifically looking for the -mm and -ma command-line arguments. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names, command-line executions, and parent processes. This activity is significant because dumping LSASS can expose sensitive credentials, posing a severe security risk. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could obtain credentials, escalate privileges, and move laterally within the network, leading to potential data breaches and further compromise of the environment.

1
2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where `process_procdump` (Processes.process=*-ma* OR Processes.process=*-mm*) Processes.process=*lsass* by Processes.user Processes.parent_process_name Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.original_file_name Processes.dest 
3| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
6| `dump_lsass_via_procdump_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source Supported App
CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 N/A 'crowdstrike:events:sensor' 'crowdstrike' N/A

Macros Used

Name Value
process_procdump (Processes.process_name=procdump.exe OR Processes.process_name=procdump64.exe OR Processes.original_file_name=procdump)
dump_lsass_via_procdump_filter search *
dump_lsass_via_procdump_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK
+ Kill Chain Phases
+ NIST
+ CIS
- Threat Actors
ID Technique Tactic
T1003.001 LSASS Memory Credential Access
T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
NistCategory.DE_CM
Cis18Value.CIS_10
APT1
APT28
APT3
APT32
APT33
APT39
APT41
APT5
Aquatic Panda
BRONZE BUTLER
Blue Mockingbird
Cleaver
Earth Lusca
FIN13
FIN6
FIN8
Fox Kitten
GALLIUM
HAFNIUM
Indrik Spider
Ke3chang
Kimsuky
Leafminer
Leviathan
Magic Hound
MuddyWater
OilRig
PLATINUM
Sandworm Team
Silence
Threat Group-3390
Volt Typhoon
Whitefly
Wizard Spider
APT28
APT32
APT39
Axiom
Leviathan
Poseidon Group
Sowbug
Suckfly
Tonto Team

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting Value
Disabled true
Cron Schedule 0 * * * *
Earliest Time -70m@m
Latest Time -10m@m
Schedule Window auto
Creates Notable Yes
Rule Title %name%
Rule Description %description%
Notable Event Fields user, dest
Creates Risk Event True
This configuration file applies to all detections of type TTP. These detections will use Risk Based Alerting and generate Notable Events.

Implementation

The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the Processes node of the Endpoint data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.

Known False Positives

None identified.

Associated Analytic Story

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message Risk Score Impact Confidence
An instance of $parent_process_name$ spawning $process_name$ was identified attempting to dump lsass.exe on endpoint $dest$ by user $user$. 80 80 100
The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

References

Detection Testing

Test Type Status Dataset Source Sourcetype
Validation Passing N/A N/A N/A
Unit Passing Dataset XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational xmlwineventlog
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational xmlwineventlog

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


Source: GitHub | Version: 5