Windows Service Created with Suspicious Service Path

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Description

The following analytic detects the creation of a Windows Service with a binary path located in uncommon directories, using Windows Event ID 7045. It leverages logs from the wineventlog_system to identify services installed outside typical system directories. This activity is significant as adversaries, including those deploying Clop ransomware, often create malicious services for lateral movement, remote code execution, persistence, and execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain persistence, execute arbitrary code, and potentially escalate privileges, posing a severe threat to the environment.

• Type: TTP

• Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud

• Last Updated: 2024-05-21
• Author: Teoderick Contreras, Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
• ID: 429141be-8311-11eb-adb6-acde48001122

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1569	System Services	Execution

T1569.002

Service Execution

Execution

Kill Chain Phase

• Installation

NIST

• DE.CM

CIS20

• CIS 10

CVE

Search

 `wineventlog_system` EventCode=7045 ImagePath = "*.exe" NOT (ImagePath IN ("*:\\Windows\\*", "*:\\Program File*", "*:\\Programdata\\*", "*%systemroot%\\*")) 
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by EventCode ImagePath ServiceName ServiceType StartType Computer UserID 
| rename Computer as dest
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `windows_service_created_with_suspicious_service_path_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

• security_content_ctime
• wineventlog_system

windows_service_created_with_suspicious_service_path_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.

• EventCode
• Service_File_Name
• Service_Type
• _time
• Service_Name
• Service_Start_Type
• dest

How To Implement

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

• Clop Ransomware
• Active Directory Lateral Movement
• Brute Ratel C4
• Qakbot
• Snake Malware
• Flax Typhoon
• PlugX
• CISA AA23-347A

RBA

Risk Score	Impact	Confidence	Message
56.0	70	80	A service $ImagePath$ was created from a non-standard path using $ServiceName$ on $dest$

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

• https://www.mandiant.com/resources/fin11-email-campaigns-precursor-for-ransomware-data-theft
• https://blog.virustotal.com/2020/11/keep-your-friends-close-keep-ransomware.html

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

source | version: 5