BITS Job Persistence
Description
The following query identifies Microsoft Background Intelligent Transfer Service utility bitsadmin.exe
scheduling a BITS job to persist on an endpoint. The query identifies the parameters used to create, resume or add a file to a BITS job. Typically seen combined in a oneliner or ran in sequence. If identified, review the BITS job created and capture any files written to disk. It is possible for BITS to be used to upload files and this may require further network data analysis to identify. You can use bitsadmin /list /verbose
to list out the jobs during investigation.
- Type: TTP
- Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
- Datamodel: Endpoint- Datasource: Splunk Add-on for Sysmon
- Last Updated: 2021-09-16
- Author: Michael Haag, Splunk
- ID: e97a5ffe-90bf-11eb-928a-acde48001122
Annotations
ATT&CK
ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1197 | BITS Jobs | Defense Evasion, Persistence |
Kill Chain Phase
- Exploitation
NIST
CIS20
CVE
Search
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| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where `process_bitsadmin` Processes.process IN (*create*, *addfile*, *setnotifyflags*, *setnotifycmdline*, *setminretrydelay*, *setcustomheaders*, *resume* ) by Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.parent_process_id
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `bits_job_persistence_filter`
Macros
The SPL above uses the following Macros:
Note that bits_job_persistence_filter is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.
Required field
- _time
- Processes.dest
- Processes.user
- Processes.parent_process_name
- Processes.parent_process
- Processes.original_file_name
- Processes.process_name
- Processes.process
- Processes.process_id
- Processes.parent_process_path
- Processes.process_path
- Processes.parent_process_id
How To Implement
To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the process responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the Endpoint
datamodel in the Processes
node. In addition, confirm the latest CIM App 4.20 or higher is installed and the latest TA for the endpoint product.
Known False Positives
Limited false positives will be present. Typically, applications will use BitsAdmin.exe
. Any filtering should be done based on command-line arguments (legitimate applications) or parent process.
Associated Analytic story
RBA
Risk Score | Impact | Confidence | Message |
---|---|---|---|
56.0 | 70 | 80 | An instance of $parent_process_name$ spawning $process_name$ was identified on endpoint $dest$ by user $user$ attempting to persist using BITS. |
Reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1197/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/bitsadmin
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1197/T1197.md#atomic-test-3—persist-download–execute
- https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Bitsadmin/
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: 2