Suspicious ImageLoad via Windows Update Auto Update Client


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.

Query · eql

sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan=1m
 [process where event.action == "start" and
  (process.pe.original_file_name == "wuauclt.exe" or process.name : "wuauclt.exe") and
   process.parent.executable != null and
   process.args : "/RunHandlerComServer" and process.args : "/UpdateDeploymentProvider" and
   not process.parent.executable :
                    ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe",
                     "?:\\Windows\\System32\\MoUsoCoreWorker.exe",
                     "\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe",
                     "\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\Windows\\System32\\MoUsoCoreWorker.exe")]
 [library where
  not (dll.code_signature.subject_name : ("Microsoft Windows", "Microsoft Corporation") and dll.code_signature.trusted == true) and
  not (dll.code_signature.trusted == true and
       dll.path : ("?:\\Program Files\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Windows\\System32\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\ProgramData\\Symantec\\Symantec Endpoint Protection\\*.dll")) and
  not dll.hash.sha256 : "dde77d27a7cb0189a9a3314e42f10666a2f69ca2b81ad03ae0cc9035a97a55ad"]
Raw source Suspicious ImageLoad via Windows Update Auto Update Client · Elastic TOML
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Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
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.
"""
id = "3788c03d-28a5-4466-b157-d6dd4dc449bb"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Suspicious ImageLoad via Windows Update Auto Update Client"
os_list = ["windows"]
reference = [
    "https://dtm.uk/wuauclt/",
    "https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/Hunting-for-Suspicious-Windows-Libraries-for-Execution-and-Evasion",
]
version = "1.0.31"

query = '''
sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan=1m
 [process where event.action == "start" and
  (process.pe.original_file_name == "wuauclt.exe" or process.name : "wuauclt.exe") and
   process.parent.executable != null and
   process.args : "/RunHandlerComServer" and process.args : "/UpdateDeploymentProvider" and
   not process.parent.executable :
                    ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe",
                     "?:\\Windows\\System32\\MoUsoCoreWorker.exe",
                     "\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe",
                     "\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\Windows\\System32\\MoUsoCoreWorker.exe")]
 [library where
  not (dll.code_signature.subject_name : ("Microsoft Windows", "Microsoft Corporation") and dll.code_signature.trusted == true) and
  not (dll.code_signature.trusted == true and
       dll.path : ("?:\\Program Files\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Windows\\System32\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\*.dll",
                  "?:\\ProgramData\\Symantec\\Symantec Endpoint Protection\\*.dll")) and
  not dll.hash.sha256 : "dde77d27a7cb0189a9a3314e42f10666a2f69ca2b81ad03ae0cc9035a97a55ad"]
'''

min_endpoint_version = "7.16.0"
[[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 = "T1218"
name = "System Binary Proxy Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/"


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

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "7.16.0"

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