Execution of a downloaded executable with low or unknown reputation


Description

Identifies Windows executable files that have been recently downloaded and have an unknown or malicious reputation. Attackers may rely upon a user downloading and opening a file in order for their malicious code to execute and gain initial access to an endpoint. Users may be subjected to social engineering to get them to open a file that will lead to code execution.

Query · eql

sequence with maxspan=5m
 [file where event.action == "creation" and file.Ext.windows.zone_identifier >= 3 and
  file.origin_url regex~ """https?:[\/\\]{2}[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}[\/\\]{1}.*"""] as event0
 [process where event.action == "start" and
  (process.code_signature.trusted == false or process.code_signature.exists == false) and
  not process.code_signature.status like "errorCode_endpoint*" and startswith~(event0.file.name, process.name)]
Raw source Execution of a downloaded executable with low or unknown reputation · Elastic TOML
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Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
description = """
Identifies Windows executable files that have been recently downloaded and have an unknown or malicious reputation.
Attackers may rely upon a user downloading and opening a file in order for their malicious code to execute and gain
initial access to an endpoint. Users may be subjected to social engineering to get them to open a file that will lead to
code execution.
"""
id = "90912b6c-fc36-4e13-83c2-469e6b60e915"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Execution of a downloaded executable with low or unknown reputation"
os_list = ["windows"]
version = "1.0.3"

query = '''
sequence with maxspan=5m
 [file where event.action == "creation" and file.Ext.windows.zone_identifier >= 3 and
  file.origin_url regex~ """https?:[\/\\]{2}[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}[\/\\]{1}.*"""] as event0
 [process where event.action == "start" and
  (process.code_signature.trusted == false or process.code_signature.exists == false) and
  not process.code_signature.status like "errorCode_endpoint*" and startswith~(event0.file.name, process.name)]
'''

min_endpoint_version = "8.15.0"
reputation = true
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0
tree = true

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

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1204"
name = "User Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1204.002"
name = "Malicious File"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/002/"



[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "8.15.0"

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