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Upgrade to ProDetect CVE-2024-30078: Windows Wi-Fi Driver Remote Code Execution via Adjacent Network in Splunk
Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-30078, a critical Windows Wi-Fi Driver vulnerability (CWE-591: Sensitive Data Storage in Improperly Locked Memory) that allows unauthenticated remote code execution from an adjacent network. An attacker within Wi-Fi range can send specially crafted network packets to trigger memory corruption in the Windows Wi-Fi driver (nwifi.sys), potentially gaining SYSTEM-level code execution without user interaction. Affected platforms include Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2008 through 2022.
MITRE ATT&CK
SPL Detection Query
index=windows (sourcetype="WinEventLog:System" OR sourcetype="XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-DriverFrameworks-UserMode/Operational" OR sourcetype="WinEventLog:Security")
| eval EventTime=strptime(_time, "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S")
| eval isWifiCrash=if(match(Message, "(?i)nwifi\.sys|wlansvc|wlanext\.exe") AND (EventCode=41 OR EventCode=1001 OR EventCode=6008), 1, 0)
| eval isUnexpectedSpawn=if(match(ParentImage, "(?i)svchost\.exe") AND match(ParentCommandLine, "(?i)wlansvc") AND match(Image, "(?i)(cmd\.exe|powershell\.exe|wscript\.exe|cscript\.exe|mshta\.exe|rundll32\.exe)"), 1, 0)
| eval isDriverEvent=if((EventCode=7045 OR EventCode=7000 OR EventCode=7023) AND match(Message, "(?i)nwifi|wi-fi driver|wlan"), 1, 0)
| where isWifiCrash=1 OR isUnexpectedSpawn=1 OR isDriverEvent=1
| eval DetectionReason=case(
isWifiCrash=1, "Wi-Fi driver crash or kernel panic - potential CVE-2024-30078 exploitation",
isUnexpectedSpawn=1, "Shell process spawned from WLAN service - post-exploitation indicator",
isDriverEvent=1, "Suspicious Wi-Fi driver service event",
true(), "Unknown Wi-Fi anomaly"
)
| table _time, host, EventCode, ComputerName, Message, DetectionReason, ParentImage, Image, ParentCommandLine, CommandLine
| sort -_timeSplunk search across Windows System, Security, and Driver Framework event logs to identify CVE-2024-30078 exploitation indicators: kernel crashes referencing nwifi.sys, unexpected shell execution under the WLAN service, and suspicious driver service registration events.
Data Sources
Required Sourcetypes
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate Windows Update installing patched Wi-Fi drivers triggering service restart events
- Hardware failures causing genuine nwifi.sys crashes unrelated to exploitation
- IT administrators remotely managing wireless configurations via PowerShell remoting
- Wireless network diagnostics tools that spawn child processes from svchost context
- Antivirus quarantine operations affecting Wi-Fi driver files
Other platforms for CVE-2024-30078
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 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 WLAN Service Child Process Spawn (Post-Exploitation Indicator)
Expected signal: Sysmon EventID 1 (Process Create) with ParentImage=svchost.exe, ParentCommandLine containing '-k wlansvc', Image=cmd.exe. MDE DeviceProcessEvents showing InitiatingProcessCommandLine with 'wlansvc'.
- Test 2Wi-Fi Driver Version Audit for Vulnerability Assessment
Expected signal: DeviceEvents with ActionType=FileRead on nwifi.sys path. PowerShell script block logging (EventID 4104) capturing the enumeration commands. WMI activity logs showing Win32_SystemDriver query.
- Test 3Adjacent Network Malformed 802.11 Frame Injection (Controlled Lab)
Expected signal: On the target Windows host: Windows Event Log System EventID 41 or 1001 (BugCheck/kernel crash) if exploitation succeeds. Network capture on the target side shows malformed 802.11 frames from attacker MAC. Defender/EDR may log driver fault events referencing nwifi.sys.
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