ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1087.002 | Domain Account | Discovery |
T1069.001 | Local Groups | Discovery |
T1482 | Domain Trust Discovery | Discovery |
T1087.001 | Local Account | Discovery |
T1087 | Account Discovery | Discovery |
T1069.002 | Domain Groups | Discovery |
T1069 | Permission Groups Discovery | Discovery |
Detection: Network Traffic to Active Directory Web Services Protocol
Description
The following analytic identifies network traffic directed to the Active Directory Web Services Protocol (ADWS) on port 9389. It leverages network traffic logs, focusing on source and destination IP addresses, application names, and destination ports. This activity is significant as ADWS is used to manage Active Directory, and unauthorized access could indicate malicious intent. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could manipulate Active Directory, potentially leading to privilege escalation, unauthorized access, or persistent control over the environment.
Search
1
2| tstats count from datamodel=Network_Traffic where All_Traffic.dest_port=9389 by All_Traffic.src_ip, All_Traffic.dest_ip, All_Traffic.app, All_Traffic.user, All_Traffic.dest_port
3| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
4| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
5| `drop_dm_object_name("All_Traffic")`
6| `network_traffic_to_active_directory_web_services_protocol_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Sysmon EventID 3 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational' |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
security_content_ctime | convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$) |
network_traffic_to_active_directory_web_services_protocol_filter | search * |
network_traffic_to_active_directory_web_services_protocol_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 Risk Event | False |
Implementation
The detection is based on data that originates from network traffic logs. The logs must contain the source and destination IP addresses, the application name, and the destination port. The logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the network traffic data source. The logs must also be mapped to the Network_Traffic
data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
Known False Positives
False positives should be limited as the destination port is specific to Active Directory Web Services Protocol, however we recommend utilizing this analytic to hunt for non-standard processes querying the ADWS port. Filter by App or dest_ip to AD servers and remove known proceses querying ADWS.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
Network traffic to Active Directory Web Services Protocol was identified on $dest_ip$ by $src_ip$. | 10 | 20 | 50 |
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: 4