---
title: "Remote Process Instantiation via WMI"
excerpt: "Windows Management Instrumentation
"
categories:
  - Endpoint
last_modified_at: 2021-11-12
toc: true
toc_label: ""
tags:
  - Windows Management Instrumentation
  - Execution
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  - Endpoint
---



[Try in Splunk Security Cloud](https://www.splunk.com/en_us/cyber-security.html){: .btn .btn--success}

#### Description

This analytic identifies wmic.exe being launched with parameters to spawn a process on a remote system. Red Teams and adversaries alike may abuse WMI and this binary for lateral movement and remote code execution.

- **Type**: [TTP](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/wiki/object-Analytic-Types)
- **Product**: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
- **Datamodel**: [Endpoint](https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/CIM/latest/User/Endpoint)
- **Last Updated**: 2021-11-12
- **Author**: Rico Valdez, Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
- **ID**: d25d2c3d-d9d8-40ec-8fdf-e86fe155a3da


#### [ATT&CK](https://attack.mitre.org/)

| ID             | Technique        |  Tactic             |
| -------------- | ---------------- |-------------------- |
| [T1047](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1047/) | Windows Management Instrumentation | Execution |

#### Search

```

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where `process_wmic` (Processes.process="*/node:*" AND Processes.process="*process*" AND Processes.process="*call*" AND  Processes.process="*create*") by Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.parent_process_name Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.parent_process_id 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `remote_process_instantiation_via_wmi_filter`
```

#### Macros
The SPL above uses the following Macros:
* [security_content_ctime](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/blob/develop/macros/security_content_ctime.yml)
* [security_content_summariesonly](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/blob/develop/macros/security_content_summariesonly.yml)
* [process_wmic](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/blob/develop/macros/process_wmic.yml)

Note that `remote_process_instantiation_via_wmi_filter` is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

#### Required field
* _time
* Processes.dest
* Processes.user
* Processes.parent_process_name
* Processes.parent_process
* Processes.original_file_name
* Processes.process_name
* Processes.process
* Processes.process_id
* Processes.parent_process_path
* Processes.process_path
* Processes.parent_process_id


#### How To Implement
To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the process responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Processes` node. In addition, confirm the latest CIM App 4.20 or higher is installed and the latest TA for the endpoint product.

#### Known False Positives
The wmic.exe utility is a benign Windows application. It may be used legitimately by Administrators with these parameters for remote system administration, but it's relatively uncommon.

#### Associated Analytic story
* [Ransomware](/stories/ransomware)
* [Suspicious WMI Use](/stories/suspicious_wmi_use)
* [Active Directory Lateral Movement](/stories/active_directory_lateral_movement)


#### Kill Chain Phase
* Actions on Objectives



#### RBA

| Risk Score  | Impact      | Confidence   | Message      |
| ----------- | ----------- |--------------|--------------|
| 49.0 | 70 | 70 | A wmic.exe process $process$ contain process spawn commandline $process$ in host $dest$ |




#### Reference

* [https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1047/](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1047/)
* [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/cimwin32prov/create-method-in-class-win32-process](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/cimwin32prov/create-method-in-class-win32-process)



#### Test Dataset
Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our [`replay.py`](https://github.com/splunk/attack_data#using-replaypy) tool or the [UI](https://github.com/splunk/attack_data#using-ui).
Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a [Splunk Attack Range](https://github.com/splunk/attack_range#replay-dumps-into-attack-range-splunk-server)


* [https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1047/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1047/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log)



[*source*](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/tree/develop/detections/endpoint/remote_process_instantiation_via_wmi.yml) \| *version*: **7**