name: Services LOLBAS Execution Process Spawn
id: ba9e1954-4c04-11ec-8b74-3e22fbd008af
version: 1
date: '2021-11-22'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic identifies `services.exe` spawning a LOLBAS execution
  process. When adversaries execute code on remote endpoints abusing the Service Control
  Manager and creating a remote malicious service, the executed command is spawned
  as a child process of `services.exe`. The LOLBAS project documents Windows native
  binaries that can be abused by threat actors to perform tasks like executing malicious
  code. Looking for child processes of services.exe that are part of the LOLBAS project
  can help defenders identify lateral movement activity.
data_source:
- Sysmon Event ID 1
search:
  selection1:
    Image|endswith:
    - Regsvcs.exe
    - Ftp.exe
    - OfflineScannerShell.exe
    - Rasautou.exe
    - Schtasks.exe
    - Xwizard.exe
    - Dllhost.exe
    - Pnputil.exe
    - Atbroker.exe
    - Pcwrun.exe
    - Ttdinject.exe
    - Mshta.exe
    - Bitsadmin.exe
    - Certoc.exe
    - Ieexec.exe
    - Microsoft.Workflow.Compiler.exe
    - Runscripthelper.exe
    - Forfiles.exe
    - Msbuild.exe
    - Register-cimprovider.exe
    - Tttracer.exe
    - Ie4uinit.exe
    - Bash.exe
    - Hh.exe
    - SettingSyncHost.exe
    - Cmstp.exe
    - Mmc.exe
    - Stordiag.exe
    - Scriptrunner.exe
    - Odbcconf.exe
    - Extexport.exe
    - Msdt.exe
    - WorkFolders.exe
    - Diskshadow.exe
    - Mavinject.exe
    - Regasm.exe
    - Gpscript.exe
    - Rundll32.exe
    - Regsvr32.exe
    - Msiexec.exe
    - Wuauclt.exe
    - Presentationhost.exe
    - Wmic.exe
    - Runonce.exe
    - Syncappvpublishingserver.exe
    - Verclsid.exe
    - Infdefaultinstall.exe
    - Explorer.exe
    - Installutil.exe
    - Netsh.exe
    - Wab.exe
    - Dnscmd.exe
    - At.exe
    - Pcalua.exe
    - Msconfig.exe
    ParentImage: services.exe
  condition: (selection1)
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting
  logs with the process name, parent process, and command-line executions from your
  endpoints.
known_false_positives: Legitimate applications may trigger this behavior, filter as
  needed.
references:
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/003/
- https://pentestlab.blog/2020/07/21/lateral-movement-services/
- https://lolbas-project.github.io/
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Active Directory Lateral Movement
  - Living Off The Land
  - Qakbot
  asset_type: Endpoint
  confidence: 60
  impact: 90
  message: Services.exe spawned a LOLBAS process on $dest
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1543
  - T1543.003
  observable:
  - name: dest
    type: Endpoint
    role:
    - Victim
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  risk_score: 54
  security_domain: endpoint
tests:
- name: True Positive Test
  attack_data:
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1543.003/lateral_movement_lolbas/windows-sysmon.log
    source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
    sourcetype: xmlwineventlog