Windows ESX Admins Group Creation Security Event

Description

This analytic detects creation, deletion, or modification of the "ESX Admins" group in Active Directory. These events may indicate attempts to exploit the VMware ESXi Active Directory Integration Authentication Bypass vulnerability (CVE-2024-37085).

Query · spl

`wineventlog_security` EventCode IN (4727, 4730, 4737) (TargetUserName="ESX Admins" OR TargetUserName="*ESX Admins*")
  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
    BY EventCode TargetUserName TargetDomainName
       SubjectUserName SubjectDomainName Computer
  | rename Computer as dest
  | eval EventCodeDescription=case( EventCode=4727, "Security Enabled Global Group Created", EventCode=4730, "Security Enabled Global Group Deleted", EventCode=4737, "Security Enabled Global Group Modified" )
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `windows_esx_admins_group_creation_security_event_filter`

Implementation guide

To successfully implement this search, ensure that Windows Security Event logging is enabled and being ingested into Splunk, particularly for event codes 4727, 4730, and 4737. Configure Group Policy settings to audit these specific events.

Known false positives

  • Legitimate administrators might create, delete, or modify an "ESX Admins" group for valid reasons. Verify that the group changes are authorized and part of normal administrative tasks. Consider the context of the action, such as the user performing it and any related activities.

Analyst notes

Known false positives: Legitimate administrators might create, delete, or modify an "ESX Admins" group for valid reasons. Verify that the group changes are authorized and part of normal administrative tasks. Consider the context of the action, such as the user performing it and any related activities.

Raw source Windows ESX Admins Group Creation Security Event · SPL
Esc
Published by splunk/security_content ↗, licensed under Apache 2.0 ↗. Reproduced here unmodified. 
name: Windows ESX Admins Group Creation Security Event
id: 53b4c927-5ec4-47cd-8aed-d4b303304f87
version: 9
creation_date: '2024-07-30'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: This analytic detects creation, deletion, or modification of the "ESX Admins" group in Active Directory. These events may indicate attempts to exploit the VMware ESXi Active Directory Integration Authentication Bypass vulnerability (CVE-2024-37085).
data_source:
    - Windows Event Log Security 4727
    - Windows Event Log Security 4730
    - Windows Event Log Security 4737
search: |-
    `wineventlog_security` EventCode IN (4727, 4730, 4737) (TargetUserName="ESX Admins" OR TargetUserName="*ESX Admins*")
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY EventCode TargetUserName TargetDomainName
           SubjectUserName SubjectDomainName Computer
      | rename Computer as dest
      | eval EventCodeDescription=case( EventCode=4727, "Security Enabled Global Group Created", EventCode=4730, "Security Enabled Global Group Deleted", EventCode=4737, "Security Enabled Global Group Modified" )
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `windows_esx_admins_group_creation_security_event_filter`
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, ensure that Windows Security Event logging is enabled and being ingested into Splunk, particularly for event codes 4727, 4730, and 4737. Configure Group Policy settings to audit these specific events.
known_false_positives: Legitimate administrators might create, delete, or modify an "ESX Admins" group for valid reasons. Verify that the group changes are authorized and part of normal administrative tasks. Consider the context of the action, such as the user performing it and any related activities.
references:
    - https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/24505
    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/07/29/ransomware-operators-exploit-esxi-hypervisor-vulnerability-for-mass-encryption/
    - https://www.securityweek.com/microsoft-says-ransomware-gangs-exploiting-just-patched-vmware-esxi-flaw/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
finding:
    title: ESX Admins group $EventCodeDescription$ on $dest$ by user $SubjectUserName$.
    entity:
        field: SubjectUserName
        type: user
        score: 50
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 50
          message: ESX Admins group $EventCodeDescription$ on $dest$ by user $SubjectUserName$.
analytic_story:
    - VMware ESXi AD Integration Authentication Bypass CVE-2024-37085
asset_type: Endpoint
cve:
    - CVE-2024-37085
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1136.001
    - T1136.002
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1136.001/atomic_red_team/windows-security-esxadmins.log
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
          source: Security
      test_type: unit

Detection rules belong to the projects that publish them and remain under their own licenses. This site indexes and links to them; it claims no rights in them.