| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1219 | Remote Access Tools | Command and Control |
Detection: Windows RMM Tool Execution
Description
Detects process creation events of various remote access tools. Remote management tools, when used for legitimate purposes, can help IT professionals and system administrators remotely access and manage computer systems. However, threat actors may exploit these tools for malicious purposes.
Search
1`sysmon`
2EventID = 1
3(
4 Company IN (
5 "AmidaWare*",
6 "Ammyy LLC*",
7 "AnyDesk Software*",
8 "ATERA Networks*",
9 "bomgar*",
10 "FleetDeck*",
11 "GoTo, Inc*",
12 "IDrive Inc*",
13 "LogMeIn, Inc*",
14 "MMSOFT Design*",
15 "N-able*",
16 "NetSupport Ltd*",
17 "NinjaRMM*",
18 "Remote Utilities*",
19 "SimpleHelp*",
20 "Servably*",
21 "ScreenConnect*",
22 "Splashtop*",
23 "TeamViewer Germany*",
24 "ZOHO Corporation*"
25 )
26
27 OR Description IN (
28 "Advanced Monitoring Agent*",
29 "AnyDesk*",
30 "Ammyy Admin*",
31 "AteraAgent*",
32 "BeyondTrust Remote Support*",
33 "FleetDeck*",
34 "GoToAssist*",
35 "GoToMyPC*",
36 "Kaseya Live Connect*",
37 "N-able*",
38 "NetSupport Client Application*",
39 "NinjaRMM*",
40 "Pulseway*",
41 "RemotePC*",
42 "Remote Utilities*",
43 "ScreenConnect*",
44 "SimpleHelp Remote*",
45 "Splashtop*",
46 "Tactical RMM Agentz*",
47 "Take Control Agent*",
48 "Zoho Assist*"
49 )
50
51 OR Product IN (
52 "Advanced Monitoring Agent*",
53 "AnyDesk*",
54 "Ammyy Admin*",
55 "AteraAgent*",
56 "BeyondTrust Remote Support*",
57 "FleetDeck*",
58 "GoToAssist*",
59 "GoToMyPC*",
60 "Kaseya Live Connect*",
61 "NetSupport Remote Control*",
62 "NetSupport Manager*",
63 "NinjaRMM*",
64 "Pulseway*",
65 "Remote Access*",
66 "Remote Support*",
67 "Remote Utilities*",
68 "RemotePC*",
69 "Syncro*",
70 "ScreenConnect*",
71 "Splashtop*",
72 "Tactical RMM Agent*",
73 "Take Control Agent*",
74 "TeamViewer*",
75 "Zoho Assist*"
76 )
77
78 OR Image IN (
79 "*AgentPackage*",
80 "*AnyDesk.exe*",
81 "*AteraAgent.exe*",
82 "*BASupSrvc*",
83 "*fleetdeck*",
84 "*level.exe*",
85 "*MeshAgent*",
86 "*MspPlatform\\PME\\Installers*",
87 "*NableCommand*",
88 "*N-able Technologies*",
89 "*NinjaRMM*",
90 "*nxexec.exe*",
91 "*nxserv*",
92 "*nxplayer*",
93 "*PCMonitor*",
94 "*Pulseway*",
95 "*remcmdstub.exe*",
96 "*rustdesk.exe*",
97 "*ScreenConnect*",
98 "*Splashtop*",
99 "*SRAgent.exe*",
100 "*tacticalrmm.exe*",
101 "*TakeControlTechConsole*",
102 "*tailscale*",
103 "*TeamViewer*",
104 "*ZA_Connect*",
105 "*ZMAgent*",
106 "*ZohoMeeting*"
107 )
108)
109
110
111| fillnull
112
113| stats count min(_time) as firstTime
114 max(_time) as lastTime
115 by Computer Company Description Product Image action
116 dest original_file_name parent_process
117 parent_process_exec parent_process_guid
118 parent_process_id parent_process_name
119 parent_process_path process_hash
120 process_integrity_level user user_id
121 vendor_product
122
123
124| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
125
126| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
127
128| `windows_rmm_tool_execution_filter`
Data Source
| Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sysmon EventID 1 |  Windows |
'XmlWinEventLog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational' |
Macros Used
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| sysmon | (source=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational OR source=XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational OR source=Syslog:Linux-Sysmon/Operational) |
| windows_rmm_tool_execution_filter | search * |
windows_rmm_tool_execution_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
Command and Control
DE.AE
CIS 10
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 Finding (Notable) | No |
| Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event) | Yes |
Anomaly detections generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events). They do not generate a Finding (Notable) directly.
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
Legitimate IT staff often use remote management tools for system maintenance and troubleshooting. Filter alerts to exclude trusted administrative activities.
Associated Analytic Story
Intermediate Findings
| Message | Entity Field | Entity Type | Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potential RMM tool execution observed on $dest$ via $Image$. | dest | system | 20 |
Threat Objects
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Image | process_name |
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: 2