splunk-security_content/dev/endpoint/windows_mshta_execution_in_registry.yml

name: Windows Mshta Execution In Registry
id: e13ceade-b673-4d34-adc4-4d9c01729753
version: 1
date: '2022-10-14'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic identifies the usage of mshta.exe Windows binary
  in registry to execute malicious script. This technique was seen in kovter malware
  where it create several registry entry which is a encoded javascript and will be
  executed by another registry containing mshta and javascript activexobject to execute
  the encoded script using wscript.shell. This TTP is a good indication of kovter
  malware or other adversaries or threat actors leveraging fileless detection that
  survive system reboot.
data_source:
- Sysmon Event ID 13
search:
  selection1:
    Details:
    - '*mshta*'
    - '*javascript:*'
    - '*vbscript:*'
    - '*WScript.Shell*'
  condition: selection1
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you must be ingesting data
  that records registry activity from your hosts to populate the endpoint data model
  in the registry node. This is typically populated via endpoint detection-and-response
  product, such as Carbon Black or endpoint data sources, such as Sysmon. The data
  used for this search is typically generated via logs that report reads and writes
  to the registry.
known_false_positives: unknown
references:
- https://redcanary.com/threat-detection-report/techniques/mshta/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/intelligence/fileless-threats?view=o365-worldwide
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Suspicious Windows Registry Activities
  - Windows Persistence Techniques
  asset_type: Endpoint
  confidence: 90
  impact: 80
  message: a registry $registry_path$ contains mshta $registry_value_data$ in $dest$
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1218.005
  observable:
  - name: dest
    type: Hostname
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: user
    type: User
    role:
    - Victim
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  risk_score: 72
  security_domain: endpoint
tests:
- name: True Positive Test
  attack_data:
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1218.005/mshta_in_registry/sysmon3.log
    source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
    sourcetype: xmlwineventlog
    update_timestamp: true