Network Connection via Registration Utility
editNetwork Connection via Registration Utility
editIdentifies the native Windows tools regsvr32.exe, regsvr64.exe, RegSvcs.exe, or RegAsm.exe making a network connection. This may be indicative of an attacker bypassing allowlists or running arbitrary scripts via a signed Microsoft binary.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- winlogbeat-*
- logs-endpoint.events.*
- logs-windows.*
Severity: low
Risk score: 21
Runs every: 5 minutes
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum alerts per execution: 100
References:
Tags:
- Elastic
- Host
- Windows
- Threat Detection
- Execution
Version: 100 (version history)
Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.6.0
Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.5.0
Rule authors: Elastic
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Potential false positives
editSecurity testing may produce events like this. Activity of this kind performed by non-engineers and ordinary users is unusual.
Rule query
editsequence by process.entity_id [process where event.type == "start" and process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not ( (?process.Ext.token.integrity_level_name : "System" or ?winlog.event_data.IntegrityLevel : "System") and (process.parent.name : "msiexec.exe" or process.parent.executable : ("C:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\*.exe")) ) ] [network where process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not cidrmatch(destination.ip, "10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.0.0.0/24", "192.0.0.0/29", "192.0.0.8/32", "192.0.0.9/32", "192.0.0.10/32", "192.0.0.170/32", "192.0.0.171/32", "192.0.2.0/24", "192.31.196.0/24", "192.52.193.0/24", "192.168.0.0/16", "192.88.99.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "100.64.0.0/10", "192.175.48.0/24","198.18.0.0/15", "198.51.100.0/24", "203.0.113.0/24", "240.0.0.0/4", "::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8") and network.protocol != "dns"]
Threat mapping
editFramework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Execution
- ID: TA0002
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/
-
Tactic:
- Name: Defense Evasion
- ID: TA0005
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/
-
Technique:
- Name: System Binary Proxy Execution
- ID: T1218
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/
Rule version history
edit- Version 100 (8.5.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 13 (8.4.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 11 (8.2.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
sequence by process.entity_id [process where event.type == "start" and process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not ( (process.Ext.token.integrity_level_name : "System" or winlog.event_data.IntegrityLevel : "System") and (process.parent.name : "msiexec.exe" or process.parent.executable : ("C:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\*.exe")) ) ] [network where process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not cidrmatch(destination.ip, "10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.0.0.0/24", "192.0.0.0/29", "192.0.0.8/32", "192.0.0.9/32", "192.0.0.10/32", "192.0.0.170/32", "192.0.0.171/32", "192.0.2.0/24", "192.31.196.0/24", "192.52.193.0/24", "192.168.0.0/16", "192.88.99.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "100.64.0.0/10", "192.175.48.0/24","198.18.0.0/15", "198.51.100.0/24", "203.0.113.0/24", "240.0.0.0/4", "::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8") and network.protocol != "dns"]
-
- Version 10 (8.1.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
sequence by process.entity_id [process where event.type == "start" and process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not ( user.id == "S-1-5-18" and (process.parent.name : "msiexec.exe" or process.parent.executable : ("C:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\*.exe")) ) ] [network where process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not cidrmatch(destination.ip, "10.0.0.0/8", "127.0.0.0/8", "169.254.0.0/16", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.0.0.0/24", "192.0.0.0/29", "192.0.0.8/32", "192.0.0.9/32", "192.0.0.10/32", "192.0.0.170/32", "192.0.0.171/32", "192.0.2.0/24", "192.31.196.0/24", "192.52.193.0/24", "192.168.0.0/16", "192.88.99.0/24", "224.0.0.0/4", "100.64.0.0/10", "192.175.48.0/24","198.18.0.0/15", "198.51.100.0/24", "203.0.113.0/24", "240.0.0.0/4", "::1", "FE80::/10", "FF00::/8") and network.protocol != "dns"]
-
- Version 9 (7.14.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
sequence by process.entity_id [process where event.type == "start" and process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not ( user.id == "S-1-5-18" and (process.parent.name : "msiexec.exe" or process.parent.executable : ("C:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\*.exe")) ) ] [network where process.name : ("regsvr32.exe", "RegAsm.exe", "RegSvcs.exe") and not cidrmatch(destination.ip, "10.0.0.0/8", "169.254.169.254", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.168.0.0/16") and network.protocol != "dns"]
-
- Version 8 (7.13.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
sequence by process.entity_id [process where (process.name : "regsvr32.exe" or process.name : "regsvr64.exe" or process.name : "RegAsm.exe" or process.name : "RegSvcs.exe") and event.type == "start"] [network where (process.name : "regsvr32.exe" or process.name : "regsvr64.exe" or process.name : "RegAsm.exe" or process.name : "RegSvcs.exe") and not cidrmatch(destination.ip, "10.0.0.0/8", "169.254.169.254", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.168.0.0/16")]
-
- Version 7 (7.12.0 release)
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- Formatting only
- Version 6 (7.11.0 release)
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- Formatting only
- Version 5 (7.10.0 release)
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- Rule name changed from: Network Connection via Regsvr
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Updated query, changed from:
event.category:network and event.type:connection and process.name:(regsvr32.exe or regsvr64.exe) and not destination.ip:(10.0.0.0/8 or 169.254.169.254 or 172.16.0.0/12 or 192.168.0.0/16)
- Version 4 (7.9.1 release)
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- Formatting only
- Version 3 (7.9.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
process.name:(regsvr32.exe or regsvr64.exe) and event.action:"Network connection detected (rule: NetworkConnect)" and not destination.ip:(10.0.0.0/8 or 169.254.169.254 or 172.16.0.0/12 or 192.168.0.0/16)
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- Version 2 (7.7.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
(process.name:regsvr32.exe or process.name:regsvr64.exe) and event.action:"Network connection detected (rule: NetworkConnect)" and not destination.ip:169.254.169.254/32 and not destination.ip:10.0.0.0/8 and not destination.ip:172.16.0.0/12 and not destination.ip:192.168.0.0/16
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