ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1543 | Create or Modify System Process | Persistence |
T1543.003 | Windows Service | Privilege Escalation |
Detection: Windows Service Created Within Public Path
Description
The following analytic detects the creation of a Windows Service with its binary path located in public directories using Windows Event ID 7045. This detection leverages logs from the wineventlog_system
data source, focusing on the ImagePath
field to identify services installed outside standard system directories. This activity is significant as it may indicate the installation of a malicious service, often used by adversaries for lateral movement or remote code execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, maintain persistence, or further compromise the system.
Search
1`wineventlog_system` EventCode=7045 ImagePath = "*.exe" NOT (ImagePath IN ("*:\\Windows\\*", "*:\\Program File*", "*:\\Programdata\\*", "*%systemroot%\\*"))
2| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by EventCode ImagePath ServiceName ServiceType StartType Computer UserID
3| rename Computer as dest
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
6| `windows_service_created_within_public_path_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Windows Event Log System 7045 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:System' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
security_content_ctime | convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$) |
windows_service_created_within_public_path_filter | search * |
windows_service_created_within_public_path_filter
is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.
Annotations
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 |
Implementation
To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the Service name, Service File Name Service Start type, and Service Type from your endpoints.
Known False Positives
Legitimate applications may install services with uncommon services paths.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
A Windows Service $ServiceName$ with a public path was created on $dest$ | 54 | 90 | 60 |
References
-
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/services/service-control-manager
-
https://pentestlab.blog/2020/07/21/lateral-movement-services/
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:System |
XmlWinEventLog |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:System |
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: 4