ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1218.005 | Mshta | Defense Evasion |
Detection: Windows MSHTA Writing to World Writable Path
Description
The following analytic identifies instances of mshta.exe
writing files to world-writable directories. It leverages Sysmon EventCode 11 logs to detect file write operations by mshta.exe
to directories like C:\Windows\Tasks
and C:\Windows\Temp
. This activity is significant as it often indicates an attempt to establish persistence or execute malicious code, deviating from the utility's legitimate use. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to the execution of multi-stage payloads, potentially resulting in full system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Search
1`sysmon` EventCode=11 Image="*\\mshta.exe" TargetFilename IN ("*\\Windows\\Tasks\\*", "*\\Windows\\Temp\\*", "*\\Windows\\tracing\\*", "*\\Windows\\PLA\\Reports\\*", "*\\Windows\\PLA\\Rules\\*", "*\\Windows\\PLA\\Templates\\*", "*\\Windows\\PLA\\Reports\\en-US\\*", "*\\Windows\\PLA\\Rules\\en-US\\*", "*\\Windows\\Registration\\CRMLog\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\Tasks\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\Com\\dmp\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\LogFiles\\WMI\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\Microsoft\\Crypto\\RSA\\MachineKeys\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\PRINTERS\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\SERVERS\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\*", "*\\Windows\\System32\\Tasks\\Microsoft\\Windows\\RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Update\\*", "*\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Tasks\\*", "*\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Com\\dmp\\*", "*\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Tasks\\Microsoft\\Windows\\PLA\\*", "*\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Tasks\\Microsoft\\Windows\\RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Update\\*", "*\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Tasks\\Microsoft\\Windows\\PLA\\System\\*")
2| rename Computer as dest, User as user
3| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by dest, user, Image, TargetFilename
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
6| `windows_mshta_writing_to_world_writable_path_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sysmon EventID 11 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
security_content_ctime | convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$) |
windows_mshta_writing_to_world_writable_path_filter | search * |
windows_mshta_writing_to_world_writable_path_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
The analytic is designed to be run against Sysmon event logs collected from endpoints. The analytic requires the Sysmon event logs to be ingested into Splunk. The search focuses on EventCode 11 where the Image is mshta.exe
and the TargetFilename is within world-writable directories such as C:\Windows\Tasks
, C:\Windows\Temp
, and others. The detection is designed to catch the initial file write operation by mshta.exe
to these locations, which is indicative of an attempt to establish persistence or execute malicious code. The analytic can be modified to include additional world-writable directories as needed.
Known False Positives
False positives may occur if legitimate processes are writing to world-writable directories. It is recommended to investigate the context of the file write operation to determine if it is malicious or not. Modify the search to include additional known good paths for mshta.exe
to reduce false positives.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
An instance of $Image$ writing to $TargetFilename$ was detected on $dest$. | 64 | 80 | 80 |
References
-
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/apt29-wineloader-german-political-parties
-
https://www.zscaler.com/blogs/security-research/european-diplomats-targeted-spikedwine-wineloader
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: 2