Analytics Story: Sandworm Tools

Date: 2022-04-05 ID: 54146850-9d26-4877-a611-2db33231e63e Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

This analytic story features detections that enable security analysts to identify and investigate unusual activities potentially related to the destructive malware and tools employed by the "Sandworm" group. This analytic story focuses on monitoring suspicious process executions, command-line activities, Master Boot Record (MBR) wiping, data destruction, and other related indicators.

Why it matters

The Sandworm group's tools are part of destructive malware operations designed to disrupt or attack Ukraine's National Information Agencies. This operation campaign consists of several malware components, including scripts, native Windows executables (LOLBINs), data wiper malware that overwrites or destroys the Master Boot Record (MBR), and file wiping using sdelete.exe on targeted hosts.

1| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime sum(All_Risk.calculated_risk_score) as risk_score, count(All_Risk.calculated_risk_score) as risk_event_count, values(All_Risk.annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic_id) as annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic_id, dc(All_Risk.annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic_id) as mitre_tactic_id_count, values(All_Risk.annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_technique_id) as annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_technique_id, dc(All_Risk.annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_technique_id) as mitre_technique_id_count, values(All_Risk.tag) as tag, values(source) as source, dc(source) as source_count from datamodel=Risk.All_Risk where source IN ("*Cmdline Tool Not Executed In CMD Shell*", "*Windows System Network Config Discovery Display DNS*", "*Local Account Discovery With Wmic*", "*Net Localgroup Discovery*", "*Create local admin accounts using net exe*", "*Local Account Discovery with Net*", "*Icacls Deny Command*", "*ICACLS Grant Command*", "*Windows Proxy Via Netsh*", "*Processes launching netsh*", "*Disabling Firewall with Netsh*", "*Windows System Network Connections Discovery Netsh*", "*Network Connection Discovery With Arp*", "*Windows System Discovery Using ldap Nslookup*", "*Windows System Shutdown CommandLine*") by All_Risk.risk_object All_Risk.risk_object_type All_Risk.annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic | `drop_dm_object_name(All_Risk)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | where source_count >= 4 | `windows_common_abused_cmd_shell_risk_behavior_filter`

Detections

Name ▲▼ Technique ▲▼ Type ▲▼
Detect Mimikatz Using Loaded Images LSASS Memory, OS Credential Dumping TTP
Detect Mimikatz With PowerShell Script Block Logging OS Credential Dumping, PowerShell TTP
Detect PsExec With accepteula Flag Remote Services, SMB/Windows Admin Shares TTP
Detect Renamed PSExec System Services, Service Execution Hunting
Icacls Deny Command File and Directory Permissions Modification TTP
Linux Iptables Firewall Modification Disable or Modify System Firewall, Impair Defenses Anomaly
Linux Kworker Process In Writable Process Path Masquerade Task or Service, Masquerading Hunting
Local Account Discovery with Net Account Discovery, Local Account Hunting
Malicious PowerShell Process - Encoded Command Obfuscated Files or Information Hunting
Mimikatz PassTheTicket CommandLine Parameters Use Alternate Authentication Material, Pass the Ticket TTP
Permission Modification using Takeown App File and Directory Permissions Modification TTP
Scheduled Task Deleted Or Created via CMD Scheduled Task, Scheduled Task/Job TTP
Suspicious Copy on System32 Rename System Utilities, Masquerading TTP
Windows DNS Gather Network Info DNS Anomaly
Windows High File Deletion Frequency Data Destruction Anomaly
Windows Mimikatz Binary Execution OS Credential Dumping TTP
Windows Mimikatz Crypto Export File Extensions Steal or Forge Authentication Certificates Anomaly
Windows System Shutdown CommandLine System Shutdown/Reboot Anomaly
WinEvent Windows Task Scheduler Event Action Started Scheduled Task Hunting

Data Sources

Name ▲▼ Platform ▲▼ Sourcetype ▲▼ Source ▲▼
CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 N/A crowdstrike:events:sensor crowdstrike
Powershell Script Block Logging 4104 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational
Sysmon EventID 1 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
Sysmon EventID 11 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
Sysmon EventID 23 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
Sysmon EventID 7 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
Sysmon for Linux EventID 1 Linux icon Linux sysmon:linux Syslog:Linux-Sysmon/Operational
Windows Event Log Security 4688 Windows icon Windows xmlwineventlog XmlWinEventLog:Security
Windows Event Log TaskScheduler 200 Windows icon Windows wineventlog WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler/Operational

References

Source: GitHub | Version: 1