name: Office Product Spawning BITSAdmin
id: e8c591f4-a6d7-11eb-8cf7-acde48001122
version: 3
date: '2023-01-24'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
type: TTP
datamodel:
- Endpoint
description: The following detection identifies the latest behavior utilized by different
  malware families (including TA551, IcedID). This detection identifies any Windows
  Office Product spawning `bitsadmin.exe`. In malicious instances, the command-line
  of `bitsadmin.exe` will contain a URL to a remote destination or similar command-line
  arguments as transfer, Download, priority, Foreground. In addition, Threat Research
  has released a detections identifying suspicious use of `bitsadmin.exe`. In this
  instance, we narrow our detection down to the Office suite as a parent process.
  During triage, review all file modifications. Capture and analyze any artifacts
  on disk. The Office Product, or `bitsadmin.exe` will have reached out to a remote
  destination, capture and block the IPs or domain. Review additional parallel processes
  for further activity.
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time)
  as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.parent_process_name
  IN ("winword.exe","excel.exe","powerpnt.exe","mspub.exe","visio.exe","onenote.exe","onenotem.exe","onenoteviewer.exe","onenoteim.exe") `process_bitsadmin`
  by Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.parent_process Processes.process_name
  Processes.original_file_name Processes.process Processes.process_id Processes.parent_process_id
  | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `office_product_spawning_bitsadmin_filter`'
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: No false positives known. Filter as needed.
references:
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1197/T1197.md
- https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/trojanized-onenote-document-leads-to-formbook-malware/
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Spearphishing Attachments
  confidence: 90
  context:
  - Source:Endpoint
  - Stage:Recon
  dataset:
  - https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1566.001/macro/windows-sysmon_macros.log
  impact: 70
  kill_chain_phases:
  - Exploitation
  message: office parent process $parent_process_name$ will execute a suspicious child
    process $process_name$ with process id $process_id$ in host $dest$
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1566
  - T1566.001
  observable:
  - name: dest
    type: Hostname
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: process_name
    type: Process
    role:
    - Attacker
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  required_fields:
  - _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
  risk_score: 63
  security_domain: endpoint
  supported_tas:
  - Splunk_TA_microsoft_sysmon
  asset_type: Endpoint