ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1207 | Rogue Domain Controller | Defense Evasion |
Detection: Windows AD Rogue Domain Controller Network Activity
EXPERIMENTAL DETECTION
This detection status is set to experimental. The Splunk Threat Research team has not yet fully tested, simulated, or built comprehensive datasets for this detection. As such, this analytic is not officially supported. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at research@splunk.com.
Description
The following analytic identifies unauthorized replication RPC calls from non-domain controller devices. It leverages Zeek wire data to detect specific RPC operations like DrsReplicaAdd and DRSGetNCChanges, filtering out legitimate domain controllers. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to introduce a rogue domain controller, which can compromise the integrity of the Active Directory environment. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to manipulate directory data, escalate privileges, and persist within the network, posing a severe security risk.
Search
1`zeek_rpc` DrsReplicaAdd OR DRSGetNCChanges
2| where NOT (dest_category="Domain Controller") OR NOT (src_category="Domain Controller")
3| fillnull value="Unknown" src_category, dest_category
4| table _time endpoint operation src src_category dest dest_category
5| `windows_ad_rogue_domain_controller_network_activity_filter`
Data Source
No data sources specified for this detection.
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
zeek_rpc | index=zeek sourcetype="zeek:rpc:json" |
windows_ad_rogue_domain_controller_network_activity_filter | search * |
windows_ad_rogue_domain_controller_network_activity_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
Run zeek on domain controllers to capture the DCE RPC calls, ensure the domain controller categories are defined in Assets and Identities.
Known False Positives
None.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
Rogue DC Activity Detected from $src_category$ device $src$ to $dest$ ($dest_category$) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | Not Applicable | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ❌ Failing | N/A | N/A |
N/A |
Integration | ❌ Failing | N/A | N/A |
N/A |
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