IMPORTANT: No additional bug fixes or documentation updates
will be released for this version. For the latest information, see the
current release documentation.
Unusual Parent-Child Relationship
editUnusual Parent-Child Relationship
editIdentifies Windows programs run from unexpected parent processes. This could indicate masquerading or other strange activity on a system.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- winlogbeat-*
- logs-endpoint.events.*
- logs-windows.*
Severity: medium
Risk score: 47
Runs every: 5 minutes
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum alerts per execution: 100
References:
- https://github.com/sbousseaden/Slides/blob/master/Hunting MindMaps/PNG/Windows Processes TH.map.png
- https://www.andreafortuna.org/2017/06/15/standard-windows-processes-a-brief-reference/
Tags:
- Elastic
- Host
- Windows
- Threat Detection
- Privilege Escalation
Version: 8 (version history)
Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.6.0
Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 7.12.0
Rule authors: Elastic
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Rule query
editprocess where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and process.parent.name != null and ( /* suspicious parent processes */ (process.name:"autochk.exe" and not process.parent.name:"smss.exe") or (process.name:("fontdrvhost.exe", "dwm.exe") and not process.parent.name:("wininit.exe", "winlogon.exe")) or (process.name:("consent.exe", "RuntimeBroker.exe", "TiWorker.exe") and not process.parent.name:"svchost.exe") or (process.name:"SearchIndexer.exe" and not process.parent.name:"services.exe") or (process.name:"SearchProtocolHost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("SearchIndexer.exe", "dllhost.exe")) or (process.name:"dllhost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe", "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"smss.exe" and not process.parent.name:("System", "smss.exe")) or (process.name:"csrss.exe" and not process.parent.name:("smss.exe", "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"wininit.exe" and not process.parent.name:"smss.exe") or (process.name:"winlogon.exe" and not process.parent.name:"smss.exe") or (process.name:("lsass.exe", "LsaIso.exe") and not process.parent.name:"wininit.exe") or (process.name:"LogonUI.exe" and not process.parent.name:("wininit.exe", "winlogon.exe")) or (process.name:"services.exe" and not process.parent.name:"wininit.exe") or (process.name:"svchost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("MsMpEng.exe", "services.exe")) or (process.name:"spoolsv.exe" and not process.parent.name:"services.exe") or (process.name:"taskhost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe", "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"taskhostw.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe", "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"userinit.exe" and not process.parent.name:("dwm.exe", "winlogon.exe")) or (process.name:("wmiprvse.exe", "wsmprovhost.exe", "winrshost.exe") and not process.parent.name:"svchost.exe") or /* suspicious child processes */ (process.parent.name:("SearchProtocolHost.exe", "taskhost.exe", "csrss.exe") and not process.name:("werfault.exe", "wermgr.exe", "WerFaultSecure.exe")) or (process.parent.name:"autochk.exe" and not process.name:("chkdsk.exe", "doskey.exe", "WerFault.exe")) or (process.parent.name:"smss.exe" and not process.name:("autochk.exe", "smss.exe", "csrss.exe", "wininit.exe", "winlogon.exe", "setupcl.exe", "WerFault.exe")) or (process.parent.name:"wermgr.exe" and not process.name:("WerFaultSecure.exe", "wermgr.exe", "WerFault.exe")) or (process.parent.name:"conhost.exe" and not process.name:("mscorsvw.exe", "wermgr.exe", "WerFault.exe", "WerFaultSecure.exe")) )
Threat mapping
editFramework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Privilege Escalation
- ID: TA0004
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0004/
-
Technique:
- Name: Process Injection
- ID: T1055
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/
Rule version history
edit- Version 8 (7.12.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 7 (7.11.2 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 6 (7.11.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
event.category:process and event.type:(start or process_started) and process.parent.executable:* and (process.parent.name:autochk.exe and not process.name:(chkdsk.exe or doskey.exe or WerFault.exe) or process.parent.name:smss.exe and not process.name:(autochk.exe or smss.exe or csrss.exe or wininit.exe or winlogon.exe or WerFault.exe) or process.name:autochk.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:(fontdrvhost.exe or dwm.exe) and not process.parent.name:(wininit.exe or winlogon.exe) or process.name:(consent.exe or RuntimeBroker.exe or TiWorker.exe) and not process.parent.name:svchost.exe or process.name:wermgr.exe and not process.parent.name:(svchost.exe or TiWorker.exe) or process.name:SearchIndexer.exe and not process.parent.name:services.exe or process.name:SearchProtocolHost.exe and not process.parent.name:(SearchIndexer.exe or dllhost.exe) or process.name:dllhost.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:smss.exe and not process.parent.name:(System or smss.exe) or process.name:csrss.exe and not process.parent.name:(smss.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:wininit.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:winlogon.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:(lsass.exe or LsaIso.exe) and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:LogonUI.exe and not process.parent.name:(wininit.exe or winlogon.exe) or process.name:services.exe and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:svchost.exe and not process.parent.name:(MsMpEng.exe or services.exe) or process.name:spoolsv.exe and not process.parent.name:services.exe or process.name:taskhost.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:taskhostw.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:userinit.exe and not process.parent.name:(dwm.exe or winlogon.exe))
-
- Version 5 (7.10.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
event.category:process and event.type:(start or process_started) and process.parent.executable:* and (process.name:smss.exe and not process.parent.name:(System or smss.exe) or process.name:csrss.exe and not process.parent.name:(smss.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:wininit.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:winlogon.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:lsass.exe and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:LogonUI.exe and not process.parent.name:(wininit.exe or winlogon.exe) or process.name:services.exe and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:svchost.exe and not process.parent.name:(MsMpEng.exe or services.exe) or process.name:spoolsv.exe and not process.parent.name:services.exe or process.name:taskhost.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:taskhostw.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:userinit.exe and not process.parent.name:(dwm.exe or winlogon.exe))
-
- Version 4 (7.9.1 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 3 (7.9.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
event.action:"Process Create (rule: ProcessCreate)" and process.parent.executable:* and (process.name:smss.exe and not process.parent.name:(System or smss.exe) or process.name:csrss.exe and not process.parent.name:(smss.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:wininit.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:winlogon.exe and not process.parent.name:smss.exe or process.name:lsass.exe and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:LogonUI.exe and not process.parent.name:(wininit.exe or winlogon.exe) or process.name:services.exe and not process.parent.name:wininit.exe or process.name:svchost.exe and not process.parent.name:(MsMpEng.exe or services.exe) or process.name:spoolsv.exe and not process.parent.name:services.exe or process.name:taskhost.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:taskhostw.exe and not process.parent.name:(services.exe or svchost.exe) or process.name:userinit.exe and not process.parent.name:(dwm.exe or winlogon.exe))
-
- Version 2 (7.7.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
event.action:"Process Create (rule: ProcessCreate)" and process.parent.executable:* and ( (process.name:"smss.exe" and not process.parent.name:("System" or "smss.exe")) or (process.name:"csrss.exe" and not process.parent.name:("smss.exe" or "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"wininit.exe" and not process.parent.name:"smss.exe") or (process.name:"winlogon.exe" and not process.parent.name:"smss.exe") or (process.name:"lsass.exe" and not process.parent.name:"wininit.exe") or (process.name:"LogonUI.exe" and not process.parent.name:("winlogon.exe" or "wininit.exe")) or (process.name:"services.exe" and not process.parent.name:"wininit.exe") or (process.name:"svchost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe" or "MsMpEng.exe")) or (process.name:"spoolsv.exe" and not process.parent.name:"services.exe") or (process.name:"taskhost.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe" or "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"taskhostw.exe" and not process.parent.name:("services.exe" or "svchost.exe")) or (process.name:"userinit.exe" and not process.parent.name:("dwm.exe" or "winlogon.exe")) )
-