ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1018 | Remote System Discovery | Discovery |
Detection: Remote System Discovery with Adsisearcher
Description
The following analytic detects the use of the [Adsisearcher]
type accelerator in PowerShell scripts to query Active Directory for domain computers. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104) to identify specific script blocks containing adsisearcher
and objectcategory=computer
with methods like findAll()
or findOne()
. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt by adversaries or Red Teams to perform Active Directory discovery and gain situational awareness. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to further reconnaissance and potential lateral movement within the network.
Search
1`powershell` EventCode=4104 ScriptBlockText = "*adsisearcher*" AND ScriptBlockText = "*objectcategory=computer*" AND ScriptBlockText IN ("*findAll()*","*findOne()*")
2| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by EventCode ScriptBlockText Computer UserID
3| rename Computer as dest
4|rename UserID as user
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
6| `remote_system_discovery_with_adsisearcher_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Powershell Script Block Logging 4104 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
powershell | (source=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational OR source="XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational") |
remote_system_discovery_with_adsisearcher_filter | search * |
remote_system_discovery_with_adsisearcher_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 analytic, you will need to enable PowerShell Script Block Logging on some or all endpoints. Additional setup here https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/UBA/5.0.4.1/GetDataIn/AddPowerShell#Configure_module_logging_for_PowerShell.
Known False Positives
Administrators or power users may use Adsisearcher for troubleshooting.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
Remote system discovery enumeration with adsisearcher on $dest$ by $user$ | 15 | 30 | 50 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational |
xmlwineventlog |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/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: 3