splunk-security_content/docs/_posts/2021-06-10-disable_logs_using_wevtutil.md

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

title	excerpt	categories	last_modified_at	toc	toc_label	tags
Disable Logs Using WevtUtil	Indicator Removal on Host , Clear Windows Event Logs	Endpoint	2021-06-10	true		Indicator Removal on Host Clear Windows Event Logs Defense Evasion Defense Evasion Splunk Enterprise Splunk Enterprise Security Splunk Cloud Endpoint

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Description

This search is to detect execution of wevtutil.exe to disable logs. This technique was seen in several ransomware to disable the event logs to evade alerts and detections.

• Type: TTP
• Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
• Datamodel: Endpoint
• Last Updated: 2021-06-10
• Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
• ID: 236e7c8e-c9d9-11eb-a824-acde48001122

ATT&CK

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1070	Indicator Removal on Host	Defense Evasion

| T1070.001 | Clear Windows Event Logs | Defense Evasion |

Search

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name = "wevtutil.exe" Processes.process = "*sl*" Processes.process = "*/e:false*" by Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.process_id Processes.process_guid 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `disable_logs_using_wevtutil_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

• security_content_ctime
• security_content_summariesonly

Note that disable_logs_using_wevtutil_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.parent_process_name
• Processes.parent_process
• Processes.process_name
• Processes.process
• Processes.dest
• Processes.user
• Processes.process_id
• Processes.process_guid

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. If you are using Sysmon, you must have at least version 6.0.4 of the Sysmon TA.

Known False Positives

network operator may disable audit event logs for debugging purposes.

Associated Analytic story

• Ransomware

Kill Chain Phase

• Exploitation

RBA

Risk Score	Impact	Confidence	Message
24.0	30	80	WevtUtil.exe used to disable Event Logging on $dest

Reference

• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-ransom-x-ransomware-used-in-texas-txdot-cyberattack/

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/malware/ransomware_ttp/data1/windows-sysmon.log

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