splunk-security_content/docs/_posts/2020-07-21-sc_exe_manipulating_windows_services.md

title, excerpt, categories, last_modified_at, toc, toc_label, tags

title	excerpt	categories	last_modified_at	toc	toc_label	tags
Sc exe Manipulating Windows Services	Windows Service, Create or Modify System Process	Endpoint	2020-07-21	true		Windows Service Persistence Privilege Escalation Create or Modify System Process Persistence Privilege Escalation Splunk Enterprise Splunk Enterprise Security Splunk Cloud Endpoint

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Description

This search looks for arguments to sc.exe indicating the creation or modification of a Windows service.

• Type: TTP
• Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
• Datamodel: Endpoint
• Last Updated: 2020-07-21
• Author: Rico Valdez, Splunk
• ID: f0c693d8-2a89-4ce7-80b4-98fea4c3ea6d

ATT&CK

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1543.003	Windows Service	Persistence, Privilege Escalation

| T1543 | Create or Modify System Process | Persistence, Privilege Escalation |

Search

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` values(Processes.process) as process min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name = sc.exe (Processes.process="* create *" OR Processes.process="* config *") by Processes.process_name Processes.parent_process_name Processes.dest Processes.user 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `sc_exe_manipulating_windows_services_filter`

Associated Analytic Story

• Windows Service Abuse
• DHS Report TA18-074A
• Orangeworm Attack Group
• Windows Persistence Techniques
• Disabling Security Tools
• NOBELIUM Group

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.

Required field

• _time
• Processes.process_name
• Processes.process
• Processes.parent_process_name
• Processes.dest
• Processes.user

Kill Chain Phase

• Installation

Known False Positives

Using sc.exe to manipulate Windows services is uncommon. However, there may be legitimate instances of this behavior. It is important to validate and investigate as appropriate.

RBA

Risk Score	Impact	Confidence	Message
56.0	70	80	A sc process process_name with commandline process to create of configure services in host dest

Reference

Test Dataset

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

• https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1543.003/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log

source | version: 4