splunk-security_content/docs/_posts/2018-11-02-windows_hosts_file_modification.md

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title	excerpt	categories	last_modified_at	toc	toc_label	tags
Windows hosts file modification		Deprecated	2018-11-02	true		Splunk Enterprise Splunk Enterprise Security Splunk Cloud

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Description

The search looks for modifications to the hosts file on all Windows endpoints across your environment.

• Type: TTP

• Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud

• Last Updated: 2018-11-02

• Author: Rico Valdez, Splunk

• ID: 06a6fc63-a72d-41dc-8736-7e3dd9612116

Annotations

ATT&CK

Kill Chain Phase

• Command & Control

NIST

• PR.IP
• PR.PT
• PR.AC
• DE.AE
• DE.CM

CIS20

• CIS 3
• CIS 8
• CIS 12

CVE

Search

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Filesystem  by Filesystem.file_name Filesystem.file_path Filesystem.dest 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| search Filesystem.file_name=hosts AND Filesystem.file_path=*Windows\\System32\\* 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Filesystem)` 
| `windows_hosts_file_modification_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

• security_content_summariesonly
• security_content_ctime

Note that windows_hosts_file_modification_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

How To Implement

To successfully implement this search, you must be ingesting data that records the file-system activity from your hosts to populate the Endpoint.Filesystem data model node. This is typically populated via endpoint detection-and-response product, such as Carbon Black, or by other endpoint data sources, such as Sysmon. The data used for this search is typically generated via logs that report file-system reads and writes.

Known False Positives

There may be legitimate reasons for system administrators to add entries to this file.

Associated Analytic story

• Host Redirection

RBA

Risk Score	Impact	Confidence	Message
25.0	50	50	tbd

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

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