Suspicious PowerShell Base64 Decoding
Description
Identifies the execution of PowerShell with suspicious base64 decoding activity. This behavior is often observed during malware installation leveraging PowerShell.
Query · eql
api where process.Ext.api.name == "AmsiScanBuffer" and process.parent.executable != null and
process.name in~ ("powershell.exe") and
process.Ext.api.parameters.buffer : "*FromBase64String*" and
/* suspicious activity along base64 decoding */
process.Ext.api.parameters.buffer :
("*.downloadstring*", "*.downloadfile*", "*.downloaddata*", "*.WebClient*", "*(iWr *", "* iwr*", "iwr *",
"*-bxor*", "*).Content*", "*IEX *", "*iex(*", "*Invoke-Expression", "*Invoke-Expression $*", "*iex;*",
"*Start-Process*", "*SeDebugPrivilege*", "*Cryptography.Aes*") and
not process.Ext.api.parameters.buffer : ("function Get-DecryptedConfig*", "function Unprotect-ConfigFile*") and
not process.Ext.api.parameters.content_name :
("C:\\WINDOWS\\CCM\\SystemTemp\\*.ps1",
"C:\\PowerShell\\AES.ps1",
"C:\\sysmgt\\sw\\ADSMonitoring\\modules\\POSAntiVirusHealth\\POSAntiVirusHealth.psm1",
"C:\\Packages\\Plugins\\Rapid7.InsightPlatform.InsightAgentWindows\\*\\bin\\shared.psm1",
"C:\\sysmgt\\sw\\Monitoring\\PSModule\\POSAntiVirusHealth\\POSAntiVirusHealth.psm1",
"C:\\WINDOWS\\_IS\\PostESPconfig\\clienthealth\\uploadDeviceHealth_remediation.ps1",
"C:\\Program Files\\*", "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\*",
"D:\\*", "E:\\*" ,"F:\\*", "I:\\*", "\\\\*",
"C:\\Octopus\\*.ps1",
"C:\\Octopus??\\*.ps1",
"C:\\*\\Bootstrap.Octopus.FunctionAppenderContext.ps1",
"C:\\ProgramData\\HP\\MIK\\RunHPIA.ps1",
"C:\\Packages\\Plugins\\*.ps1",
"C:\\Packages\\Plugins\\*.psm1",
"C:\\temp\\intune-install.ps1",
"C:\\temp\\*\\intune-install.ps1",
"C:\\mdeanalyzer\\MDEClientAnalyzer\\MDEClientAnalyzer.ps1",
"C:\\Users\\*\\scoop\\apps\\scoop\\current\\lib\\autoupdate.ps1",
"C:\\WINDOWS\\IMECache\\HealthScripts\\*.ps1",
"C:\\sysmgt\\sw\\A\\DSMonitoring\\modules\\POSAntiVirusHealth\\POSAntiVirusHealth.psm1",
"C:\\ProgramData\\Microsoft\\Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection\\DataCollection\\*.ps1",
"C:\\Windows\\IMECache\\*\\intune-install.ps1",
"C:\\*\\IntuneManagement*\\Extensions\\IntuneAppManagement.psm1",
"C:\\SCS\\*\\Scripts\\Get-SCCMInventoryData.ps1",
"C:\\ProgramData\\NinjaRMMAgent\\scripting\\customscript_gen*.ps1",
"C:\\Tenable\\Tenable.ad\\Tools\\Run_RelayUpdater.ps1",
"C:\\Hexnode\\Resources\\*.ps1") and
not process.parent.executable :
("C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection\\SenseIR.exe",
"C:\\Program Files\\Octopus Deploy\\Tentacle\\Tentacle.exe",
"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\CentraStage\\CagService.exe",
"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Common Files\\VAudio\\Interop.Exe",
"C:\\ProgramData\\CentraStage*\\AEMAgent\\AEMAgent.exe",
"C:\\Program Files\\Git\\usr\\bin\\sh.exe",
"C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\msiexec.exe",
"C:\\Windows\\CCM\\CcmExec.exe") and
not (process.Ext.api.parameters.size == 2434 and process.Ext.api.parameters.buffer : "function Load-Assembly*" and process.parent.executable : "C:\\Windows\\Sys*\\cmd.exe") and
not process.command_line : ("*JgBjAGgAYwBwAC4AYwBvAG0AIAA2AD*", "*UwBlAHQALQBFAHgAZQBjAHUAdABpAG8AbgBQAG8AbABpAGMAeQAgAC0ARQB4AGUAYwB1A*", "*AQAAANCMnd8BFdERjHoAwE*", "*C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Office\\root\\vfs\\SystemX86\\sppc.dll*") and
not (process.executable : "C:\\Windows\\System32\\wsmprovhost.exe" and process.Ext.api.parameters.buffer : "*Ansible*") and
not process.executable :
("?:\\Program Files\\*.exe",
"?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe",
"C:\\CloudEngRinnovoCertificati\\bin\\CloudEngCertificati.exe",
"D:\\SF-Deploy\\Console\\Jobs\\ClearNetBootGUID.exe")