nldcsc-elastic-rules 0.0.8__py3-none-any.whl

nldcsc_elastic_rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_enable_inbound_rdp_with_netsh.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+[metadata]
+creation_date = "2020/10/13"
+integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
+maturity = "production"
+updated_date = "2025/03/20"
+
+[rule]
+author = ["Elastic"]
+description = """
+Identifies use of the network shell utility (netsh.exe) to enable inbound Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections in
+the Windows Firewall.
+"""
+from = "now-9m"
+index = [
+    "endgame-*",
+    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
+    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
+    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
+    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
+    "logs-system.security*",
+    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
+    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
+    "winlogbeat-*",
+]
+language = "eql"
+license = "Elastic License v2"
+name = "Remote Desktop Enabled in Windows Firewall by Netsh"
+note = """## Triage and analysis
+
+### Investigating Remote Desktop Enabled in Windows Firewall by Netsh
+
+Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary Microsoft protocol that enables remote connections to other computers, typically over TCP port 3389.
+
+Attackers can use RDP to conduct their actions interactively. Ransomware operators frequently use RDP to access victim servers, often using privileged accounts.
+
+This rule detects the creation of a Windows Firewall inbound rule that would allow inbound RDP traffic using the `netsh.exe` utility.
+
+#### Possible investigation steps
+
+- Identify the user account that performed the action and whether it should perform this kind of action.
+- Contact the user to check if they are aware of the operation.
+- Investigate the process execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures.
+- Investigate other alerts associated with the user/host during the past 48 hours.
+- Check whether it makes sense to enable RDP to this host, given its role in the environment.
+- Check if the host is directly exposed to the internet.
+- Check whether privileged accounts accessed the host shortly after the modification.
+- Review network events within a short timespan of this alert for incoming RDP connection attempts.
+
+### False positive analysis
+
+- The `netsh.exe` utility can be used legitimately. Check whether the user should be performing this kind of activity, whether the user is aware of it, whether RDP should be open, and whether the action exposes the environment to unnecessary risks.
+
+### Response and remediation
+
+- Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage.
+- If RDP is needed, make sure to secure it:
+  - Allowlist RDP traffic to specific trusted hosts.
+  - Restrict RDP logins to authorized non-administrator accounts, where possible.
+- Isolate the involved hosts to prevent further post-compromise behavior.
+- Review the privileges assigned to the involved users to ensure that the least privilege principle is being followed.
+- Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector.
+- Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).
+"""
+risk_score = 47
+rule_id = "074464f9-f30d-4029-8c03-0ed237fffec7"
+severity = "medium"
+tags = [
+    "Domain: Endpoint",
+    "OS: Windows",
+    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
+    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
+    "Resources: Investigation Guide",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
+    "Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs",
+    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
+    "Data Source: Sysmon",
+    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
+    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
+]
+timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
+type = "eql"
+
+query = '''
+process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
+ (process.name : "netsh.exe" or ?process.pe.original_file_name == "netsh.exe") and
+ process.args : ("localport=3389", "RemoteDesktop", "group=\"remote desktop\"") and
+ process.args : ("action=allow", "enable=Yes", "enable")
+'''
+
+
+[[rule.threat]]
+framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
+[[rule.threat.technique]]
+id = "T1562"
+name = "Impair Defenses"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/"
+[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
+id = "T1562.004"
+name = "Disable or Modify System Firewall"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/004/"
+
+
+
+[rule.threat.tactic]
+id = "TA0005"
+name = "Defense Evasion"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
+

nldcsc_elastic_rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_enable_network_discovery_with_netsh.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+[metadata]
+creation_date = "2021/07/07"
+integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
+maturity = "production"
+updated_date = "2025/03/20"
+
+[rule]
+author = ["Elastic"]
+description = """
+Identifies use of the netsh.exe program to enable host discovery via the network. Attackers can use this command-line
+tool to weaken the host firewall settings.
+"""
+false_positives = ["Host Windows Firewall planned system administration changes."]
+from = "now-9m"
+index = [
+    "endgame-*",
+    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
+    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
+    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
+    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
+    "logs-system.security*",
+    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
+    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
+    "winlogbeat-*",
+]
+language = "eql"
+license = "Elastic License v2"
+name = "Enable Host Network Discovery via Netsh"
+note = """## Triage and analysis
+
+### Investigating Enable Host Network Discovery via Netsh
+
+The Windows Defender Firewall is a native component that provides host-based, two-way network traffic filtering for a device and blocks unauthorized network traffic flowing into or out of the local device.
+
+Attackers can enable Network Discovery on the Windows firewall to find other systems present in the same network. Systems with this setting enabled will communicate with other systems using broadcast messages, which can be used to identify targets for lateral movement. This rule looks for the setup of this setting using the netsh utility.
+
+#### Possible investigation steps
+
+- Investigate the process execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures.
+- Identify the user account that performed the action and whether it should perform this kind of action.
+- Contact the account owner and confirm whether they are aware of this activity.
+- Investigate other alerts associated with the user/host during the past 48 hours.
+- Inspect the host for suspicious or abnormal behavior in the alert timeframe.
+
+### False positive analysis
+
+- This mechanism can be used legitimately. Analysts can dismiss the alert if the Administrator is aware of the activity and there are justifications for this configuration.
+
+### Response and remediation
+
+- Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage.
+- Isolate the involved hosts to prevent further post-compromise behavior.
+- Disable Network Discovery:
+    - Using netsh: `netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=No`
+- Investigate credential exposure on systems compromised or used by the attacker to ensure all compromised accounts are identified. Reset passwords for these accounts and other potentially compromised credentials, such as email, business systems, and web services.
+- Review the privileges assigned to the involved users to ensure that the least privilege principle is being followed.
+- Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector.
+- Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).
+"""
+risk_score = 47
+rule_id = "8b4f0816-6a65-4630-86a6-c21c179c0d09"
+severity = "medium"
+tags = [
+    "Domain: Endpoint",
+    "OS: Windows",
+    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
+    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
+    "Resources: Investigation Guide",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
+    "Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs",
+    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
+    "Data Source: Sysmon",
+    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
+    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
+]
+timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
+type = "eql"
+
+query = '''
+process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
+process.name : "netsh.exe" and
+process.args : ("firewall", "advfirewall") and process.args : "group=Network Discovery" and process.args : "enable=Yes"
+'''
+
+
+[[rule.threat]]
+framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
+[[rule.threat.technique]]
+id = "T1562"
+name = "Impair Defenses"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/"
+[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
+id = "T1562.004"
+name = "Disable or Modify System Firewall"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/004/"
+
+
+
+[rule.threat.tactic]
+id = "TA0005"
+name = "Defense Evasion"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
+

nldcsc_elastic_rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_execution_control_panel_suspicious_args.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+[metadata]
+creation_date = "2021/09/08"
+integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
+maturity = "production"
+updated_date = "2025/03/20"
+
+[rule]
+author = ["Elastic"]
+description = """
+Identifies unusual instances of Control Panel with suspicious keywords or paths in the process command line value.
+Adversaries may abuse control.exe to proxy execution of malicious code.
+"""
+from = "now-9m"
+index = [
+    "endgame-*",
+    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
+    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
+    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
+    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
+    "logs-system.security*",
+    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
+    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
+    "winlogbeat-*",
+]
+language = "eql"
+license = "Elastic License v2"
+name = "Control Panel Process with Unusual Arguments"
+note = """## Triage and analysis
+
+> **Disclaimer**:
+> This investigation guide was created using generative AI technology and has been reviewed to improve its accuracy and relevance. While every effort has been made to ensure its quality, we recommend validating the content and adapting it to suit your specific environment and operational needs.
+
+### Investigating Control Panel Process with Unusual Arguments
+
+The Control Panel in Windows is a system utility that allows users to view and adjust system settings. Adversaries may exploit this by using control.exe to execute malicious code under the guise of legitimate processes. The detection rule identifies anomalies in command-line arguments, such as unexpected file types or suspicious paths, which may indicate an attempt to evade defenses or execute unauthorized actions.
+
+### Possible investigation steps
+
+- Review the command line arguments of the control.exe process to identify any unusual file types or suspicious paths, such as image file extensions or paths like */AppData/Local/*.
+- Check the parent process of control.exe to determine if it was spawned by a legitimate application or a potentially malicious one.
+- Investigate the user account associated with the process to verify if the activity aligns with their typical behavior or if it appears suspicious.
+- Examine recent file modifications or creations in directories like \\AppData\\Local\\ or \\Users\\Public\\ to identify any unauthorized or unexpected changes.
+- Correlate the event with other security alerts or logs from data sources like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Sysmon to gather additional context on the potential threat.
+- Assess the network activity of the host during the time of the alert to identify any unusual outbound connections that may indicate data exfiltration or command and control communication.
+
+### False positive analysis
+
+- Image file paths in command-line arguments may trigger false positives if users or applications are legitimately accessing image files through control.exe. To mitigate this, create exceptions for known applications or user activities that frequently access image files.
+- Paths involving AppData or Users\\Public directories might be flagged if legitimate software installations or updates use these locations. Review and whitelist specific software processes that are known to use these directories for legitimate purposes.
+- Relative path traversal patterns like ../../.. could be used by legitimate scripts or applications for configuration purposes. Identify and exclude these scripts or applications from the detection rule if they are verified as non-malicious.
+- Frequent use of control.exe with specific command-line arguments by system administrators or IT personnel for legitimate system management tasks can be excluded by creating user-based exceptions for these roles.
+- If certain security tools or monitoring software are known to trigger this rule due to their operational behavior, consider excluding these tools after confirming their legitimacy and necessity.
+
+### Response and remediation
+
+- Isolate the affected system from the network to prevent further malicious activity and lateral movement.
+- Terminate the suspicious control.exe process to stop any ongoing malicious execution.
+- Conduct a thorough scan of the affected system using updated antivirus or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to identify and remove any malicious files or remnants.
+- Review and clean up any unauthorized changes or files in the directories specified in the alert, such as AppData/Local or Users/Public, to ensure no persistence mechanisms remain.
+- Restore any affected files or system settings from a known good backup to ensure system integrity.
+- Escalate the incident to the security operations center (SOC) or incident response team for further analysis and to determine if additional systems are compromised.
+- Implement additional monitoring and alerting for similar command-line anomalies to enhance detection and prevent recurrence of this threat."""
+references = ["https://www.joesandbox.com/analysis/476188/1/html"]
+risk_score = 73
+rule_id = "416697ae-e468-4093-a93d-59661fa619ec"
+severity = "high"
+tags = [
+    "Domain: Endpoint",
+    "OS: Windows",
+    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
+    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
+    "Tactic: Execution",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
+    "Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs",
+    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
+    "Data Source: Sysmon",
+    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
+    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
+    "Resources: Investigation Guide",
+]
+timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
+type = "eql"
+
+query = '''
+process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
+  process.name : "control.exe" and
+  process.command_line : (
+    "*.jpg*", "*.png*",
+    "*.gif*", "*.bmp*",
+    "*.jpeg*", "*.TIFF*",
+    "*.inf*", "*.cpl:*/*",
+    "*../../..*",
+    "*/AppData/Local/*",
+    "*:\\Users\\Public\\*",
+    "*\\AppData\\Local\\*"
+)
+'''
+
+
+[[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 = "T1218.002"
+name = "Control Panel"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/002/"
+
+
+
+[rule.threat.tactic]
+id = "TA0005"
+name = "Defense Evasion"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
+

nldcsc_elastic_rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_execution_lolbas_wuauclt.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+[metadata]
+creation_date = "2020/10/13"
+integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
+maturity = "production"
+updated_date = "2025/03/20"
+
+[transform]
+[[transform.osquery]]
+label = "Osquery - Retrieve DNS Cache"
+query = "SELECT * FROM dns_cache"
+
+[[transform.osquery]]
+label = "Osquery - Retrieve All Services"
+query = "SELECT description, display_name, name, path, pid, service_type, start_type, status, user_account FROM services"
+
+[[transform.osquery]]
+label = "Osquery - Retrieve Services Running on User Accounts"
+query = """
+SELECT description, display_name, name, path, pid, service_type, start_type, status, user_account FROM services WHERE
+NOT (user_account LIKE '%LocalSystem' OR user_account LIKE '%LocalService' OR user_account LIKE '%NetworkService' OR
+user_account == null)
+"""
+
+[[transform.osquery]]
+label = "Osquery - Retrieve Service Unsigned Executables with Virustotal Link"
+query = """
+SELECT concat('https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/', sha1) AS VtLink, name, description, start_type, status, pid,
+services.path FROM services JOIN authenticode ON services.path = authenticode.path OR services.module_path =
+authenticode.path JOIN hash ON services.path = hash.path WHERE authenticode.result != 'trusted'
+"""
+
+
+[rule]
+author = ["Elastic"]
+description = """
+Identifies abuse of the Windows Update Auto Update Client (wuauclt.exe) to load an arbitrary DLL. This behavior is used
+as a defense evasion technique to blend-in malicious activity with legitimate Windows software.
+"""
+from = "now-9m"
+index = [
+    "endgame-*",
+    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
+    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
+    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
+    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
+    "logs-system.security*",
+    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
+    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
+    "winlogbeat-*",
+]
+language = "eql"
+license = "Elastic License v2"
+name = "ImageLoad via Windows Update Auto Update Client"
+note = """## Triage and analysis
+
+### Investigating ImageLoad via Windows Update Auto Update Client
+
+The Windows Update Auto Update Client (wuauclt.exe) is the component responsible for managing system updates. However, adversaries may abuse this process to load a malicious DLL and execute malicious code while blending into a legitimate system mechanism. 
+
+This rule identifies potential abuse for code execution by monitoring for specific process arguments ("/RunHandlerComServer" and "/UpdateDeploymentProvider") and common writable paths where the target DLL can be placed (e.g., "C:\\Users\\*.dll", "C:\\ProgramData\\*.dll", etc.).
+
+> **Note**:
+> This investigation guide uses the [Osquery Markdown Plugin](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/invest-guide-run-osquery.html) introduced in Elastic Stack version 8.5.0. Older Elastic Stack versions will display unrendered Markdown in this guide.
+
+### Possible investigation steps
+
+- Investigate the process execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures.
+- Investigate any abnormal behavior by the subject process, such as network connections, registry or file modifications, and any spawned child processes.
+- Examine the command line and identify the DLL location.
+- Examine whether the DLL is signed.
+- Retrieve the DLL and determine if it is malicious:
+  - Analyze the file using a private sandboxed analysis system.
+  - Observe and collect information about the following activities in both the sandbox and the alert subject host:
+    - Attempts to contact external domains and addresses.
+      - Use the Elastic Defend network events to determine domains and addresses contacted by the subject process by filtering by the process' `process.entity_id`.
+      - Examine the DNS cache for suspicious or anomalous entries.
+        - $osquery_0
+    - Use the Elastic Defend registry events to examine registry keys accessed, modified, or created by the related processes in the process tree.
+    - Examine the host services for suspicious or anomalous entries.
+      - $osquery_1
+      - $osquery_2
+      - $osquery_3
+  - Retrieve the files' SHA-256 hash values using the PowerShell `Get-FileHash` cmdlet and search for the existence and reputation of the hashes in resources like VirusTotal, Hybrid-Analysis, CISCO Talos, Any.run, etc.
+- Investigate the behavior of child processes, such as network connections, registry or file modifications, and any spawned processes.
+
+### False positive analysis
+
+- This activity is unlikely to happen legitimately. Any activity that triggered the alert and is not inherently malicious must be monitored by the security team.
+
+### Response and Remediation
+
+- Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage.
+- Isolate the involved host to prevent further post-compromise behavior.
+- If the triage identified malware, search the environment for additional compromised hosts.
+  - Implement temporary network rules, procedures, and segmentation to contain the malware.
+  - Stop suspicious processes.
+  - Immediately block the identified indicators of compromise (IoCs).
+  - Inspect the affected systems for additional malware backdoors like reverse shells, reverse proxies, or droppers that attackers could use to reinfect the system.
+- Remove and block malicious artifacts identified during triage.
+- Run a full antimalware scan. This may reveal additional artifacts left in the system, persistence mechanisms, and malware components.
+- Investigate credential exposure on systems compromised or used by the attacker to ensure all compromised accounts are identified. Reset passwords for these accounts and other potentially compromised credentials, such as email, business systems, and web services.
+- Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector.
+- Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).
+"""
+references = ["https://dtm.uk/wuauclt/"]
+risk_score = 47
+rule_id = "edf8ee23-5ea7-4123-ba19-56b41e424ae3"
+severity = "medium"
+tags = [
+    "Domain: Endpoint",
+    "OS: Windows",
+    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
+    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
+    "Tactic: Execution",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
+    "Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs",
+    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
+    "Data Source: Sysmon",
+    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
+    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
+    "Resources: Investigation Guide",
+]
+timeline_id = "e70679c2-6cde-4510-9764-4823df18f7db"
+timeline_title = "Comprehensive Process Timeline"
+timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
+type = "eql"
+
+query = '''
+process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
+  (?process.pe.original_file_name == "wuauclt.exe" or process.name : "wuauclt.exe") and
+   /* necessary windows update client args to load a dll */
+   process.args : "/RunHandlerComServer" and process.args : "/UpdateDeploymentProvider" and
+   /* common paths writeable by a standard user where the target DLL can be placed */
+   process.args : ("C:\\Users\\*.dll", "C:\\ProgramData\\*.dll", "C:\\Windows\\Temp\\*.dll", "C:\\Windows\\Tasks\\*.dll")
+'''
+
+
+[[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.tactic]
+id = "TA0005"
+name = "Defense Evasion"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
+

nldcsc_elastic_rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_execution_msbuild_started_by_office_app.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+[metadata]
+creation_date = "2020/03/25"
+integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "system", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
+maturity = "production"
+updated_date = "2025/03/20"
+
+[rule]
+author = ["Elastic"]
+description = """
+An instance of MSBuild, the Microsoft Build Engine, was started by Excel or Word. This is unusual behavior for the Build
+Engine and could have been caused by an Excel or Word document executing a malicious script payload.
+"""
+false_positives = [
+    """
+    The Build Engine is commonly used by Windows developers but use by non-engineers is unusual. It is quite unusual for
+    this program to be started by an Office application like Word or Excel.
+    """,
+]
+from = "now-9m"
+index = [
+    "endgame-*",
+    "logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
+    "logs-endpoint.events.process-*",
+    "logs-m365_defender.event-*",
+    "logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
+    "logs-system.security*",
+    "logs-windows.forwarded*",
+    "logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
+    "winlogbeat-*",
+]
+language = "eql"
+license = "Elastic License v2"
+name = "Microsoft Build Engine Started by an Office Application"
+note = """## Triage and analysis
+
+### Investigating Microsoft Build Engine Started by an Office Application
+
+Microsoft Office (MS Office) is a suite of applications designed to help with productivity and completing common tasks on a computer. You can create and edit documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, and create presentations and posters. As it is some of the most-used software across companies, MS Office is frequently targeted for initial access. It also has a wide variety of capabilities that attackers can take advantage of.
+
+The Microsoft Build Engine is a platform for building applications. This engine, also known as MSBuild, provides an XML schema for a project file that controls how the build platform processes and builds software, and can be abused to proxy execution of code.
+
+This rule looks for the `Msbuild.exe` utility spawned by MS Office programs. This is generally the result of the execution of malicious documents.
+
+#### Possible investigation steps
+
+- Investigate the process execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures.
+- Investigate abnormal behaviors observed by the subject process, such as network connections, registry or file modifications, and any spawned child processes.
+- Investigate other alerts associated with the user/host during the past 48 hours.
+- Retrieve MS Office documents received and opened by the user that could cause this behavior. Common locations include, but are not limited to, the Downloads and Document folders and the folder configured at the email client.
+- Determine if the collected files are malicious:
+  - Use a private sandboxed malware analysis system to perform analysis.
+    - Observe and collect information about the following activities:
+      - Attempts to contact external domains and addresses.
+      - File and registry access, modification, and creation activities.
+      - Service creation and launch activities.
+      - Scheduled task creation.
+  - Use the PowerShell Get-FileHash cmdlet to get the files' SHA-256 hash values.
+    - Search for the existence and reputation of the hashes in resources like VirusTotal, Hybrid-Analysis, CISCO Talos, Any.run, etc.
+
+### False positive analysis
+
+- This activity is unlikely to happen legitimately. Benign true positives (B-TPs) can be added as exceptions if necessary.
+
+### Response and remediation
+
+- Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage.
+- Isolate the involved host to prevent further post-compromise behavior.
+- Investigate credential exposure on systems compromised or used by the attacker to ensure all compromised accounts are identified. Reset passwords for these accounts and other potentially compromised credentials, such as email, business systems, and web services.
+- If the triage identified malware, search the environment for additional compromised hosts.
+  - Implement temporary network rules, procedures, and segmentation to contain the malware.
+  - Stop suspicious processes.
+  - Immediately block the identified indicators of compromise (IoCs).
+  - Inspect the affected systems for additional malware backdoors like reverse shells, reverse proxies, or droppers that attackers could use to reinfect the system.
+- Remove and block malicious artifacts identified during triage.
+- Run a full antimalware scan. This may reveal additional artifacts left in the system, persistence mechanisms, and malware components.
+- Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector.
+  - If the malicious file was delivered via phishing:
+    - Block the email sender from sending future emails.
+    - Block the malicious web pages.
+    - Remove emails from the sender from mailboxes.
+    - Consider improvements to the security awareness program.
+- Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).
+"""
+references = ["https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2020/02/building-bypass-with-msbuild.html"]
+risk_score = 73
+rule_id = "c5dc3223-13a2-44a2-946c-e9dc0aa0449c"
+severity = "high"
+tags = [
+    "Domain: Endpoint",
+    "OS: Windows",
+    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
+    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
+    "Tactic: Execution",
+    "Resources: Investigation Guide",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
+    "Data Source: Elastic Defend",
+    "Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs",
+    "Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint",
+    "Data Source: Sysmon",
+    "Data Source: SentinelOne",
+    "Data Source: Crowdstrike",
+]
+timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
+type = "eql"
+
+query = '''
+process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
+  process.name : "MSBuild.exe" and
+  process.parent.name : ("eqnedt32.exe",
+                         "excel.exe",
+                         "fltldr.exe",
+                         "msaccess.exe",
+                         "mspub.exe",
+                         "outlook.exe",
+                         "powerpnt.exe",
+                         "winword.exe" )
+'''
+
+
+[[rule.threat]]
+framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
+[[rule.threat.technique]]
+id = "T1127"
+name = "Trusted Developer Utilities Proxy Execution"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1127/"
+[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
+id = "T1127.001"
+name = "MSBuild"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1127/001/"
+
+
+
+[rule.threat.tactic]
+id = "TA0005"
+name = "Defense Evasion"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
+[[rule.threat]]
+framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
+
+[rule.threat.tactic]
+id = "TA0002"
+name = "Execution"
+reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"
+