| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1136.001 | Local Account | Persistence |
| T1136.002 | Domain Account | Persistence |
Detection: Windows ESX Admins Group Creation Security Event
Description
This analytic detects creation, deletion, or modification of the "ESX Admins" group in Active Directory. These events may indicate attempts to exploit the VMware ESXi Active Directory Integration Authentication Bypass vulnerability (CVE-2024-37085).
Search
1`wineventlog_security` EventCode IN (4727, 4730, 4737) (TargetUserName="ESX Admins" OR TargetUserName="*ESX Admins*")
2
3| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
4 BY EventCode TargetUserName TargetDomainName
5 SubjectUserName SubjectDomainName Computer
6
7| rename Computer as dest
8
9| eval EventCodeDescription=case( EventCode=4727, "Security Enabled Global Group Created", EventCode=4730, "Security Enabled Global Group Deleted", EventCode=4737, "Security Enabled Global Group Modified" )
10
11| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
12
13| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
14
15| `windows_esx_admins_group_creation_security_event_filter`
Data Source
| Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Event Log Security 4730 |  Windows |
'XmlWinEventLog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Security' |
| Windows Event Log Security 4737 | Windows |
'XmlWinEventLog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Security' |
| Windows Event Log Security 4727 | Windows |
'XmlWinEventLog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Security' |
Macros Used
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| wineventlog_security | eventtype="wineventlog_security" OR Channel="security" OR source="XmlWinEventLog:Security" OR source="WinEventLog:Security" |
| windows_esx_admins_group_creation_security_event_filter | search * |
windows_esx_admins_group_creation_security_event_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
Installation
DE.CM
CIS 10
CVE
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) | Yes |
| Rule Title | %name% |
| Rule Description | %description% |
| Notable Event Fields | user, dest |
| Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event) | Yes |
TTP detections generate a Finding (Notable) and may generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events) for associated entities.
Implementation
To successfully implement this search, ensure that Windows Security Event logging is enabled and being ingested into Splunk, particularly for event codes 4727, 4730, and 4737. Configure Group Policy settings to audit these specific events.
Known False Positives
Legitimate administrators might create, delete, or modify an "ESX Admins" group for valid reasons. Verify that the group changes are authorized and part of normal administrative tasks. Consider the context of the action, such as the user performing it and any related activities.
Associated Analytic Story
Finding
| Title | Entity Field | Entity Type | Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESX Admins group $EventCodeDescription$ on $dest$ by user $SubjectUserName$. | SubjectUserName | user | 50 |
Intermediate Findings
| Message | Entity Field | Entity Type | Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESX Admins group $EventCodeDescription$ on $dest$ by user $SubjectUserName$. | dest | system | 50 |
References
Detection Testing
| Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | Security |
XmlWinEventLog |
| Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | Security |
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: 9