Potential PowerShell Empire Execution


Description

Identifies the execution of PowerShell with suspicious argument values. This behavior is often observed during malware installation leveraging PowerShell.

Query · eql

process where event.action == "start" and process.name : "powershell.exe" and
 process.command_line : ("* -noP -sta -w 1 -enc  SQBmACgAJABQAFMAV*",
                         "* hidden -e SQBmACgAJABQAFMAV*",
                         "* -noP -sta -w 1 -enc  IAAgA*",
                         "*LwBkAG8AdwBuAGwAbwBhAGQALwBwAG8AdwBlAHIAcwBoAGUAbABsAC8AJw*",
                         "*AvAGQAbwB3AG4AbABvAGEAZAAvAGMAcwBoAGEAcgBwAC8AIgApADsA*",
                         "*AAKAAkAEkAVgArACQASwApACkAfABJAEUAWAA=*",
                         "*IAAgACYAKAAiAHsAMgB9AHsAMAB9AHsAMQB9ACIA*")
Raw source Potential PowerShell Empire Execution · Elastic TOML
Esc
Published by elastic/protections-artifacts ↗, licensed under Elastic License 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified.
[rule]
description = """
Identifies the execution of PowerShell with suspicious argument values. This behavior is often observed during malware
installation leveraging PowerShell.
"""
id = "97c40962-ab00-4741-b8f9-8c03b5f0eaa7"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Potential PowerShell Empire Execution"
os_list = ["windows"]
version = "1.0.2"

query = '''
process where event.action == "start" and process.name : "powershell.exe" and
 process.command_line : ("* -noP -sta -w 1 -enc  SQBmACgAJABQAFMAV*",
                         "* hidden -e SQBmACgAJABQAFMAV*",
                         "* -noP -sta -w 1 -enc  IAAgA*",
                         "*LwBkAG8AdwBuAGwAbwBhAGQALwBwAG8AdwBlAHIAcwBoAGUAbABsAC8AJw*",
                         "*AvAGQAbwB3AG4AbABvAGEAZAAvAGMAcwBoAGEAcgBwAC8AIgApADsA*",
                         "*AAKAAkAEkAVgArACQASwApACkAfABJAEUAWAA=*",
                         "*IAAgACYAKAAiAHsAMgB9AHsAMAB9AHsAMQB9ACIA*")
'''

min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"
optional_actions = []
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0
tree = true

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1059"
name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"
[[threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1059.001"
name = "PowerShell"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001/"



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

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"

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