[metadata] creation_date = "2023/09/28" integration = ["endpoint"] maturity = "production" min_stack_comments = "New fields added: required_fields, related_integrations, setup" min_stack_version = "8.3.0" updated_date = "2023/09/28" bypass_bbr_timing = true [rule] author = ["Elastic"] description = """ Identifies the execution of the built-in Windows Installer, msiexec.exe, to install a remote package. Adversaries may abuse msiexec.exe to launch local or network accessible MSI files. """ from = "now-9m" index = ["logs-endpoint.events.*"] language = "eql" license = "Elastic License v2" name = "Potential Remote File Execution via MSIEXEC" risk_score = 21 rule_id = "3e441bdb-596c-44fd-8628-2cfdf4516ada" severity = "low" tags = ["Domain: Endpoint", "OS: Windows", "Use Case: Threat Detection", "Tactic: Initial Access", "Tactic: Defense Evasion", "Rule Type: BBR", "Data Source: Elastic Defend"] building_block_type = "default" type = "eql" query = ''' sequence with maxspan=1m [process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.action == "start" and process.name : "msiexec.exe" and process.args : "/V"] by process.entity_id [network where host.os.type == "windows" and process.name : "msiexec.exe" and event.action == "connection_attempted"] by process.entity_id [process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.action == "start" and process.parent.name : "msiexec.exe" and user.id : ("S-1-5-21-*", "S-1-5-12-1-*") and not process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\msiexec.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\srtasks.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\srtasks.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\taskkill.exe", "?:\\Windows\\Installer\\MSI*.tmp", "?:\\Program Files\\*.exe", "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\ie4uinit.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\ie4uinit.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\sc.exe", "?:\\Windows\\system32\\Wbem\\mofcomp.exe", "?:\\Windows\\twain_32\\fjscan32\\SOP\\crtdmprc.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\taskkill.exe", "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\schtasks.exe", "?:\\Windows\\system32\\schtasks.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\sdbinst.exe") and not (process.code_signature.subject_name == "Citrix Systems, Inc." and process.code_signature.trusted == true) and not (process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "powershell.exe", "rundll32.exe", "wscript.exe") and process.Ext.token.integrity_level_name == "high" and process.args : ("?:\\Program Files\\*", "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*")) and not (process.executable : ("?:\\Program Files\\*.exe", "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe") and process.code_signature.trusted == true) and not (process.name : "rundll32.exe" and process.args : "printui.dll,PrintUIEntry") ] by process.parent.entity_id ''' [[rule.threat]] framework = "MITRE ATT&CK" [[rule.threat.technique]] id = "T1566" name = "Phishing" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1566/" [[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]] id = "T1566.002" name = "Spearphishing Link" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1566/002/" [rule.threat.tactic] id = "TA0001" name = "Initial Access" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0001/" [[rule.threat]] framework = "MITRE ATT&CK" [[rule.threat.technique]] id = "T1218" name = "System Binary Proxy Execution" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/" [[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]] id = "T1218.007" name = "Msiexec" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/007/" [rule.threat.tactic] id = "TA0005" name = "Defense Evasion" reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"