ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1070 | Indicator Removal | Defense Evasion |
Detection: Process Deleting Its Process File Path
Description
The following analytic identifies a process attempting to delete its own file path, a behavior often associated with defense evasion techniques. This detection leverages Sysmon EventCode 1 logs, focusing on command lines executed via cmd.exe that include deletion commands. This activity is significant as it may indicate malware, such as Clop ransomware, trying to evade detection by removing its executable file if certain conditions are met. If confirmed malicious, this could allow the attacker to persist undetected, complicating incident response and remediation efforts.
Search
1`sysmon` EventCode=1 CommandLine = "* /c *" CommandLine = "* del*" Image = "*\\cmd.exe"
2| eval result = if(like(process,"%".parent_process."%"), "Found", "Not Found")
3| stats min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime count by dest user ParentImage ParentCommandLine Image CommandLine EventCode ProcessID result
4| where result = "Found"
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
6| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
7| `process_deleting_its_process_file_path_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | N/A | 'crowdstrike:events:sensor' |
'crowdstrike' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
security_content_ctime | convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$) |
process_deleting_its_process_file_path_filter | search * |
process_deleting_its_process_file_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 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
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
A process $Image$ tries to delete its process path in commandline $CommandLine$ as part of defense evasion in host $dest$ by user $user$ | 60 | 60 | 100 |
References
-
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/fin11-email-campaigns-precursor-for-ransomware-data-theft
-
https://blog.virustotal.com/2020/11/keep-your-friends-close-keep-ransomware.html
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: 3