Detection: Execute Javascript With Jscript COM CLSID

Updated Date: 2024-09-30 ID: dc64d064-d346-11eb-8588-acde48001122 Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects the execution of JavaScript using the JScript.Encode CLSID (COM Object) by cscript.exe. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names, command-line executions, and parent processes. This activity is significant as it is a known technique used by ransomware, such as Reddot, to execute malicious scripts and potentially disable AMSI (Antimalware Scan Interface). If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, evade detection, and maintain persistence within the environment.

Search

1
2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name = "cscript.exe" Processes.process="*-e:{F414C262-6AC0-11CF-B6D1-00AA00BBBB58}*" by Processes.parent_process_name Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.parent_process Processes.process_id Processes.dest Processes.user 
3| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
4| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
5| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
6| `execute_javascript_with_jscript_com_clsid_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2	N/A	`'crowdstrike:events:sensor'`	`'crowdstrike'`
Sysmon EventID 1	Windows	`'xmlwineventlog'`	`'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational'`
Windows Event Log Security 4688	Windows	`'xmlwineventlog'`	`'XmlWinEventLog:Security'`

Macros Used

Name	Value
security_content_ctime	`convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$)`
execute_javascript_with_jscript_com_clsid_filter	`search *`

execute_javascript_with_jscript_com_clsid_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK

+ Kill Chain Phases

+ NIST

+ CIS

- Threat Actors

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1059	Command and Scripting Interpreter	Execution
T1059.005	Visual Basic	Execution

KillChainPhase.INSTALLATION

NistCategory.DE_CM

Cis18Value.CIS_10

APT19

APT32

APT37

APT39

Dragonfly

FIN5

FIN6

FIN7

Fox Kitten

Ke3chang

OilRig

Saint Bear

Stealth Falcon

Whitefly

Windigo

Winter Vivern

APT-C-36

APT32

APT33

APT37

APT38

APT39

BRONZE BUTLER

Cobalt Group

Confucius

Earth Lusca

FIN13

FIN4

FIN7

Gamaredon Group

Gorgon Group

HEXANE

Higaisa

Inception

Kimsuky

Lazarus Group

LazyScripter

Leviathan

Machete

Magic Hound

Malteiro

Molerats

MuddyWater

Mustang Panda

OilRig

Patchwork

Rancor

RedCurl

Sandworm Team

SideCopy

Sidewinder

Silence

TA2541

TA459

TA505

Transparent Tribe

Turla

WIRTE

Windshift

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting	Value
Disabled	true
Cron Schedule	`0 * * * *`
Earliest Time	`-70m@m`
Latest Time	`-10m@m`
Schedule Window	`auto`
Creates Notable	Yes
Rule Title	`%name%`
Rule Description	`%description%`
Notable Event Fields	user, dest
Creates Risk Event	True

This configuration file applies to all detections of type TTP. These detections will use Risk Based Alerting and generate Notable Events.

Implementation

The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the Processes node of the Endpoint data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.

Known False Positives

unknown

Associated Analytic Story

Ransomware

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message	Risk Score	Impact	Confidence
Suspicious process of cscript.exe with a parent process $parent_process_name$ where it tries to execute javascript using jscript.encode CLSID (COM OBJ), detected on $dest$ by $user$	56	80	70

The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

References

https://app.any.run/tasks/c0f98850-af65-4352-9746-fbebadee4f05/

Detection Testing

Test Type	Status	Dataset	Source	Sourcetype
Validation	✅ Passing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Unit	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`
Integration	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub | Version: 3