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Description

The following analytic identifies a process command line that retrieves dns reply information using Windows OS built-in tool IPConfig. This technique is being abused by threat actors, adversaries and post exploitation tools like WINPEAS to retrieve DNS information for the targeted host. This IPConfig parameter (/displaydns) can show dns server resource record, record name, record type, time to live data length and dns reply. This hunting detection can be a good pivot to check which process is executing this command line in specific host system that may lead to malware or adversaries gathering network information.

  • Type: Anomaly
  • Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
  • Datamodel: Endpoint
  • Last Updated: 2022-11-30
  • Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
  • ID: e24f0a0e-41a9-419f-9999-eacab15efc36

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

ID Technique Tactic
T1016 System Network Configuration Discovery Discovery
Kill Chain Phase
  • Exploitation
NIST
  • DE.AE
CIS20
  • CIS 10
CVE
1
2
3
4
5
6
| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name="ipconfig.exe" OR Processes.original_file_name = "ipconfig.exe" AND Processes.process = "*/displaydns*" by Processes.process_name Processes.original_file_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.process_guid Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.dest Processes.user 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `windows_system_network_config_discovery_display_dns_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

:information_source: windows_system_network_config_discovery_display_dns_filter is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Required fields

List of fields required to use this analytic.

  • _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
  • Processes.parent_process_guid
  • Processes.process_guid

How To Implement

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

unknown

Associated Analytic Story

RBA

Risk Score Impact Confidence Message
9.0 30 30 process $process_name$ with commandline $process$ is executed in $dest$

:information_source: The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

Reference

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

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