Potential Shellcode Fluctuation v1


Description

Identifies private (JIT) code memory with fluctuating page protections. This may indicate an attempt to hide injected code from memory scanners.

Query · eql

api where process.Ext.api.behaviors : ("execute_fluctuation", "write_fluctuation") and
/* private memory only */
process.Ext.api.metadata.target_address_name == "Unbacked" and process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.hash.sha256 != null and

/* trusted executable */
 process.code_signature.trusted == true and

/* ignore second stage shellcode - this will trigger other rules */
process.Ext.api.behaviors != "allocate_shellcode" and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("Unknown", "Undetermined") and
not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.protection_provenance : ("Unknown", "Kernel*", "Undetermined") and

/* large payloads only */
process.Ext.api.parameters.size > 66000 and

/* trusted signer exclusions */
not (
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("chakra.dll", "mpengine.dll", "pidgenx.dll", "ieshims.dll", "jscript9.dll", "$$deletemekernelbase.dll*") and
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and $entry.subject_name == "Microsoft Windows")
) and

not (
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("mso.dll", "appvisvsubsystems32.dll", "appvisvsubsystems64.dll", "msedgeupdate.dll", "msvbvm60.dll") and
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and $entry.subject_name == "Microsoft Corporation")
) and

not (
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and 
    $entry.subject_name : (
      "Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher",
      "Microsoft Windows Software Compatibility Publisher",
      "Avast Software s.r.o.",
      "AVG Technologies USA, LLC",
      "BeyondTrust Corporation",
      "Bitdefender SRL",
      "Carbon Black, Inc.",
      "Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.",
      "Cisco Systems, Inc.",
      "ESET, spol. s r.o.",
      "FireEye, Inc.",
      "Kaspersky Lab",
      "Kaspersky Lab JSC",
      "AO Kaspersky Lab",
      "McAfee, Inc.",
      "Mozilla Corporation",
      "Palo Alto Networks",
      "SentinelOne Inc.",
      "Sophos Limited",
      "Symantec Corporation",
      "Trend Micro, Inc.",
      "VMware, Inc.",
      "WithSecure Oyj",
      "Fortinet Technologies (Canada) ULC",
      "Fortinet Inc",
      "Sentinel Labs, Inc.",
      "VIPRE Security (ThreatTrack Security, Inc.)",
      "Adobe Inc.",
      "Codejock Technologies, LLC",
      "Intel Corporation",
      "Intel(R) Software Development Products",
      "Johannes Schindelin", /* Git for Windows */
      "Mozilla Corporation",
      "SAP SE",
      "VisualSVN Software Ltd.",
      "SAS Institute Inc.",
      "combit Software GmbH",
      "PC SOFT INFORMATIQUE",
      "PC SOFT INFORMATIQUE SAS",
      "Configura Sverige AB"
    )
  )
) and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_summary : "*ntdll.dll|tmmon.dll|*" and

/* untrusted exclusions */

not (process.code_signature.subject_name == "OMICRON electronics GmbH" and
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name == "toolkitpro.dll") and

process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name != "jvm.dll" and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.path like ("c:\\program files\\*", "c:\\program files (x86)\\*") and

not _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack, $entry, $entry.symbol_info like ("*ntdll.dll!LdrLoadDll*", "*ntdll.dll!LdrShutdownProcess*", "*clr.dll!DllCanUnloadNowInternal*")) and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.hash.sha256 in ("6593198214805d47df5726b153284326d71b9b4aa0dbb2242151bc740ca0a0d4",
                                                                    "ad3eeeec77ddc069ddc0bc0531dc8c3da4b48eb15e9ed097e7568a8b16442ff3",
                                                                    "0d82b0bc752e54e69467524c171cf50ca90786fac197f76792eb01ab341fd8b9",
                                                                    "c49cf406c3b2fc29807dc710623f5bf740c54d7d2ebaa07803c3c227dc0e6917",
                                                                    "ba6fdc007e5a23453c136283301b63743e92caa5742b67a34cdf5db483aa8741",
                                                                    "51b74ca155761ff868d0f57b1d23490b4ce46719c0d6a72dd0c1f8efcabd1ec6",
                                                                    "68f18d4e81a098435cc320173d1e57bd56f7a017ccbc9cc20e0e9c8bb50102d2",
                                                                    "47876bc0823230667047227e5031f731e3579e7805348fd8c63b381e103bebd8",
                                                                    "2cf71398291dccd79eef86a234b3644060adbf9477752c28358ee16558d75046",
                                                                    "3112c2b909bce7ab9f19c35925ba4444b1c89f42bb76182efe98d20f46482746",
                                                                    "ba2b1262c4492d32c7f1e4713f8b22e855315414395e4d32e9ec369845279792",
                                                                    "e4a0aa2bb7e9003d1f436e1fcc783c4949f38e24d0d9b960ae9411609fe9c0a6",
                                                                    "bde4966990afdde03df017bd79889a11cabb522577952f1fe6f6f0dbd85cfc09",
                                                                    "45793df158cace910d48a620d380f390ae5a09ecf1bcfefe11e6a029ddb0be53")
Raw source Potential Shellcode Fluctuation v1 · Elastic TOML
Esc
Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
description = """
Identifies private (JIT) code memory with fluctuating page protections. This may indicate an attempt to hide injected
code from memory scanners.
"""
id = "30c72c75-43f9-4edb-bd6b-a32787082763"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Potential Shellcode Fluctuation v1"
os_list = ["windows"]
version = "1.0.9"

query = '''
api where process.Ext.api.behaviors : ("execute_fluctuation", "write_fluctuation") and
/* private memory only */
process.Ext.api.metadata.target_address_name == "Unbacked" and process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.hash.sha256 != null and

/* trusted executable */
 process.code_signature.trusted == true and

/* ignore second stage shellcode - this will trigger other rules */
process.Ext.api.behaviors != "allocate_shellcode" and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("Unknown", "Undetermined") and
not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.protection_provenance : ("Unknown", "Kernel*", "Undetermined") and

/* large payloads only */
process.Ext.api.parameters.size > 66000 and

/* trusted signer exclusions */
not (
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("chakra.dll", "mpengine.dll", "pidgenx.dll", "ieshims.dll", "jscript9.dll", "$$deletemekernelbase.dll*") and
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and $entry.subject_name == "Microsoft Windows")
) and

not (
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name : ("mso.dll", "appvisvsubsystems32.dll", "appvisvsubsystems64.dll", "msedgeupdate.dll", "msvbvm60.dll") and
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and $entry.subject_name == "Microsoft Corporation")
) and

not (
  _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.code_signature, $entry, $entry.trusted == true and 
    $entry.subject_name : (
      "Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher",
      "Microsoft Windows Software Compatibility Publisher",
      "Avast Software s.r.o.",
      "AVG Technologies USA, LLC",
      "BeyondTrust Corporation",
      "Bitdefender SRL",
      "Carbon Black, Inc.",
      "Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.",
      "Cisco Systems, Inc.",
      "ESET, spol. s r.o.",
      "FireEye, Inc.",
      "Kaspersky Lab",
      "Kaspersky Lab JSC",
      "AO Kaspersky Lab",
      "McAfee, Inc.",
      "Mozilla Corporation",
      "Palo Alto Networks",
      "SentinelOne Inc.",
      "Sophos Limited",
      "Symantec Corporation",
      "Trend Micro, Inc.",
      "VMware, Inc.",
      "WithSecure Oyj",
      "Fortinet Technologies (Canada) ULC",
      "Fortinet Inc",
      "Sentinel Labs, Inc.",
      "VIPRE Security (ThreatTrack Security, Inc.)",
      "Adobe Inc.",
      "Codejock Technologies, LLC",
      "Intel Corporation",
      "Intel(R) Software Development Products",
      "Johannes Schindelin", /* Git for Windows */
      "Mozilla Corporation",
      "SAP SE",
      "VisualSVN Software Ltd.",
      "SAS Institute Inc.",
      "combit Software GmbH",
      "PC SOFT INFORMATIQUE",
      "PC SOFT INFORMATIQUE SAS",
      "Configura Sverige AB"
    )
  )
) and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_summary : "*ntdll.dll|tmmon.dll|*" and

/* untrusted exclusions */

not (process.code_signature.subject_name == "OMICRON electronics GmbH" and
  process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name == "toolkitpro.dll") and

process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.name != "jvm.dll" and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.path like ("c:\\program files\\*", "c:\\program files (x86)\\*") and

not _arraysearch(process.thread.Ext.call_stack, $entry, $entry.symbol_info like ("*ntdll.dll!LdrLoadDll*", "*ntdll.dll!LdrShutdownProcess*", "*clr.dll!DllCanUnloadNowInternal*")) and

not process.thread.Ext.call_stack_final_user_module.hash.sha256 in ("6593198214805d47df5726b153284326d71b9b4aa0dbb2242151bc740ca0a0d4",
                                                                    "ad3eeeec77ddc069ddc0bc0531dc8c3da4b48eb15e9ed097e7568a8b16442ff3",
                                                                    "0d82b0bc752e54e69467524c171cf50ca90786fac197f76792eb01ab341fd8b9",
                                                                    "c49cf406c3b2fc29807dc710623f5bf740c54d7d2ebaa07803c3c227dc0e6917",
                                                                    "ba6fdc007e5a23453c136283301b63743e92caa5742b67a34cdf5db483aa8741",
                                                                    "51b74ca155761ff868d0f57b1d23490b4ce46719c0d6a72dd0c1f8efcabd1ec6",
                                                                    "68f18d4e81a098435cc320173d1e57bd56f7a017ccbc9cc20e0e9c8bb50102d2",
                                                                    "47876bc0823230667047227e5031f731e3579e7805348fd8c63b381e103bebd8",
                                                                    "2cf71398291dccd79eef86a234b3644060adbf9477752c28358ee16558d75046",
                                                                    "3112c2b909bce7ab9f19c35925ba4444b1c89f42bb76182efe98d20f46482746",
                                                                    "ba2b1262c4492d32c7f1e4713f8b22e855315414395e4d32e9ec369845279792",
                                                                    "e4a0aa2bb7e9003d1f436e1fcc783c4949f38e24d0d9b960ae9411609fe9c0a6",
                                                                    "bde4966990afdde03df017bd79889a11cabb522577952f1fe6f6f0dbd85cfc09",
                                                                    "45793df158cace910d48a620d380f390ae5a09ecf1bcfefe11e6a029ddb0be53")
'''

max_endpoint_version = "8.14.1"
min_endpoint_version = "8.10.0"
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

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

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1620"
name = "Reflective Code Loading"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1620/"


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

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "8.10.0"

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