Detect CVE-2023-36424 - Microsoft Windows Out-of-Bounds Read Exploitation in IBM QRadar
Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2023-36424, a Microsoft Windows out-of-bounds read vulnerability (CWE-125) listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities in Windows kernel or system components can be leveraged for privilege escalation, information disclosure, or as a stepping stone in exploit chains. This detection monitors for anomalous process behavior, crash artifacts, and privilege escalation patterns consistent with exploitation of this class of vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
DATEFORMAT(starttime, 'YYYY-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS event_time,
logsourcename(logsourceid) AS log_source,
username,
"Computer Name" AS computer_name,
QIDNAME(qid) AS event_name,
qid,
sourceip,
"Process Name" AS process_name,
COUNT(*) AS event_count
FROM events
WHERE
LOGSOURCETYPENAME(devicetype) IN ('Microsoft Windows Security Event Log', 'Microsoft Windows Event Log')
AND (
qid IN (5000672, 5000001000, 5000001001, 5004688)
OR LOWER("Process Name") LIKE '%werfault%'
OR LOWER("Process Name") LIKE '%reportfault%'
)
AND NOT LOWER(username) LIKE '%$'
AND starttime > NOW() - 86400000
GROUP BY
computer_name, username, process_name, qid
HAVING event_count > 0
ORDER BY event_time DESC
LAST 24 HOURSQRadar AQL query detecting Windows crash and privilege events associated with CVE-2023-36424 exploitation, filtering out machine accounts and grouping by host and user for analyst triage.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- High-volume environments where werfault.exe invocations are routine due to unstable software
- Privileged service accounts generating 4672 events as part of normal operations
- Automated IT management tools that trigger error reporting as part of health checks
- Software development workstations where crash reporting is expected behavior
Other platforms for CVE-2023-36424
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate Out-of-Bounds Read Crash via Malformed Input
Expected signal: Windows Event ID 1000 (Application Error) and 1001 (WER) in Application log; WerFault.exe process launch visible in Sysmon Event ID 1; crash dump file created in %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps
- Test 2Privilege Escalation Simulation Following Crash Artifact
Expected signal: Windows Event ID 4672 (Special Privileges Assigned) in Security log; Process creation events in Sysmon for cmd.exe and powershell.exe; elevated process token in DeviceProcessEvents
- Test 3Memory Dump Creation Mimicking Exploit Artifact
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 11 (FileCreate) for .dmp file in CrashDumps directory; DeviceFileEvents entry for the dump file creation; rundll32.exe process creation with comsvcs.dll MiniDump arguments in process telemetry
- Test 4WerFault.exe Manual Invocation Simulation
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1 showing WerFault.exe launched by PowerShell (non-standard parent); DeviceProcessEvents with FileName=werfault.exe and InitiatingProcessFileName=powershell.exe; potential Event ID 1001 in Application log
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2023-36424 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.