Suspicious Registry Symbolic Link


Description

Identifies the creation of registry symbolic link by an unusual process. This may indicate an attempt to elevate privileges via hijacking privileged registry read operations using a malicious registry symbolic link.

Query · eql

registry where event.action == "modification" and user.id : ("S-1-5-21*", "S-1-12-*") and
registry.value : "SymbolicLinkValue" and process.executable : "?:\\*" and
 not process.executable :
            ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\DriverStore\\FileRepository\\*", 
	     "?:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe", 
             "?:\\Program Files\\*.exe", 
	     "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", 
             "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\asw-*\\avg-av\\icarus.exe", 
	     "?:\\$WINDOWS.~BT\\Work\\*\\DismHost.exe") and
 not (process.code_signature.trusted == true and not process.code_signature.subject_name : "Microsoft*") and
 not (process.name : "DismHost.exe" and process.code_signature.trusted == true and process.code_signature.subject_name : "Microsoft *") and
 not (process.executable : "?:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe" and registry.path : "HKEY_USERS\\*\\Software\\Nico Mak Computing\\SymbolicLinkValue")
Raw source Suspicious Registry Symbolic Link · Elastic TOML
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Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
description = """
Identifies the creation of registry symbolic link by an unusual process. This may indicate an attempt to elevate
privileges via hijacking privileged registry read operations using a malicious registry symbolic link.
"""
id = "0c5c8b29-9903-4a04-9ca8-20abafc9db41"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Suspicious Registry Symbolic Link"
os_list = ["windows"]
version = "1.0.10"

query = '''
registry where event.action == "modification" and user.id : ("S-1-5-21*", "S-1-12-*") and
registry.value : "SymbolicLinkValue" and process.executable : "?:\\*" and
 not process.executable :
            ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\DriverStore\\FileRepository\\*", 
	     "?:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe", 
             "?:\\Program Files\\*.exe", 
	     "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", 
             "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\asw-*\\avg-av\\icarus.exe", 
	     "?:\\$WINDOWS.~BT\\Work\\*\\DismHost.exe") and
 not (process.code_signature.trusted == true and not process.code_signature.subject_name : "Microsoft*") and
 not (process.name : "DismHost.exe" and process.code_signature.trusted == true and process.code_signature.subject_name : "Microsoft *") and
 not (process.executable : "?:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe" and registry.path : "HKEY_USERS\\*\\Software\\Nico Mak Computing\\SymbolicLinkValue")
'''

actions = []
min_endpoint_version = "8.4.0"
[[optional_actions]]
action = "rollback"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1574"
name = "Hijack Execution Flow"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1574/"


[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0004"
name = "Privilege Escalation"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0004/"
[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1112"
name = "Modify Registry"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1112/"


[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "8.4.0"

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