Detect Masquerade Task or Service in Sumo Logic CSE
Adversaries may attempt to manipulate the name of a task or service to make it appear legitimate or benign. Tasks/services executed by the Task Scheduler or systemd will typically be given a name and/or description. Windows services will have a service name as well as a display name. Adversaries may give tasks or services names that are similar or identical to those of legitimate ones, such as 'Windows Update Security', 'Google Chrome Security Update', or 'Microsoft Network Realtime Inspection Service'.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Defense Evasion
- Technique
- T1036 Masquerading
- Sub-technique
- T1036.004 Masquerade Task or Service
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1036/004/
Sumo Detection Query
_sourceCategory=windows/system OR _sourceCategory=windows/security
| where EventID in ("7045", "4697")
| parse field=Message "Service Name: *" as ServiceName nodrop
| parse field=Message "Service File Name: *" as ServiceFileName nodrop
| parse field=Message "Account Name: *" as AccountName nodrop
| parse field=Message "Service Type: *" as ServiceType nodrop
| parse field=Message "Start Type: *" as StartType nodrop
| where (
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows update security.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*microsoft network realtime.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows advanced task.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*google chrome security.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows video service.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows power efficiency.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*system authorization service.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows management help.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*microsoft support.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*windows user service.*") or
matches(toLowerCase(ServiceName), ".*(svchost|update|security|microsoft|google|chrome|adobe).*(service|task|helper|agent).*")
)
| fields _messageTime, Computer, AccountName, ServiceName, ServiceFileName, ServiceType, StartType, EventID
| sort by _messageTime descSumo Logic query targeting Windows System (7045) and Security (4697) event logs to detect installation of services with masqueraded names. Parses service name from event message fields and matches against known suspicious patterns and generic mimicry patterns.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Software deployment pipelines (Jenkins, Octopus Deploy) installing legitimate services during automated deployments that use descriptive names with product keywords
- IT asset management agents that self-register as services under names containing 'Windows', 'Microsoft', or other vendor terms
- Development or staging environments where developers test service installations with descriptive names that happen to match suspicious patterns
Other platforms for T1036.004
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 1Create Masquerading Windows Service
Expected signal: Windows System Event ID 7045: A service was installed with ServiceName=WindowsUpdateSecurity and DisplayName='Windows Update Security Patches'. Sysmon Event ID 12/13: Registry key creation under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WindowsUpdateSecurity.
- Test 2Create Masquerading Scheduled Task
Expected signal: Security Event ID 4698: A scheduled task was created with TaskName=AdobeFlashSync. Sysmon Event ID 1: schtasks.exe process creation with /create command line.
- Test 3Create Masquerading Systemd Service (Linux)
Expected signal: File creation event for /etc/systemd/system/dbus-inotifier.service. Process execution of systemctl daemon-reload. Auditd events for write to /etc/systemd/system/.
References (6)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1036/004/
- http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/11/unit42-shamoon-2-return-disttrack-wiper/
- https://vms.drweb.com/virus/?i=4276269
- https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490996.aspx
- https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.service.html
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1036.004/T1036.004.md
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for T1036.004 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.