Detect Portable Executable Injection in Sumo Logic CSE
Adversaries may inject portable executables (PE) into processes in order to evade process-based defenses as well as possibly elevate privileges. PE injection is commonly performed by copying code (perhaps without a file on disk) into the virtual address space of the target process before invoking it via a new thread. The write can be performed with native Windows API calls such as VirtualAllocEx and WriteProcessMemory, then invoked with CreateRemoteThread or additional code (ex: shellcode). Unlike DLL injection, PE injection copies the entire executable image into the target process rather than loading a DLL via LoadLibrary. The displacement of the injected code introduces the additional requirement for functionality to remap memory references.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Technique
- T1055 Process Injection
- Sub-technique
- T1055.002 Portable Executable Injection
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/002/
Sumo Detection Query
_sourceCategory=*sysmon* EventCode=8
| where !(SourceImage matches "*MsMpEng.exe")
| where !(SourceImage matches "*csrss.exe")
| where !(SourceImage matches "*services.exe")
| where !(SourceImage matches "*svchost.exe")
| where !(SourceImage matches "*lsass.exe")
| where !(SourceImage matches "*wmiprvse.exe")
| where isNull(StartModule) OR StartModule=""
| "CreateRemoteThread with empty StartModule — direct PE injection suspected" as PEInjectionIndicator
| fields _messageTime, Computer, User, SourceImage, TargetImage, StartAddress, StartFunction, PEInjectionIndicator
| sort by _messageTime descSumo Logic query detecting PE injection via Sysmon Event Code 8 (CreateRemoteThread) where StartModule is absent or empty. The StartModule field is populated by Sysmon when a CreateRemoteThread call references a loaded module; its absence indicates the thread entry point is an unmapped memory region, consistent with PE injection. Adjust _sourceCategory to match your Sysmon collector configuration.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate software that creates module-less threads via NtCreateThreadEx, such as certain game anti-cheat systems and software licensing enforcement agents
- Microsoft Office add-ins or COM-based automation tools that spawn threads in Office process space without a discoverable module reference
- Custom in-house automation or build tooling that performs cross-process thread injection for inter-process communication without a backing DLL
Other platforms for T1055.002
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 1PE Injection via PowerShell with VirtualAllocEx and WriteProcessMemory
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: notepad.exe spawned by PowerShell. If full API chain used: Sysmon Event ID 10 (ProcessAccess) from PowerShell to notepad.exe with PROCESS_VM_WRITE rights. Sysmon Event ID 8 if CreateRemoteThread is called.
- Test 2Shellcode Injection via Donut Framework
Expected signal: When using the full Donut injection: Sysmon Event ID 8 (CreateRemoteThread) with empty StartModule. Sysmon Event ID 10 (ProcessAccess) with PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS. No corresponding Sysmon Event ID 7 (ImageLoad) in the target process.
- Test 3Process Injection using C# System.Diagnostics APIs
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: csc.exe spawned by PowerShell (compilation). Sysmon Event ID 11: pe_inject_test.exe created in TEMP. Sysmon Event ID 1: pe_inject_test.exe execution. Sysmon Event ID 1: notepad.exe spawned by pe_inject_test.exe.
References (5)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/002/
- https://www.endgame.com/blog/technical-blog/ten-process-injection-techniques-technical-survey-common-and-trending-process
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1055.002/T1055.002.md
- https://github.com/TheWover/donut
- https://www.elastic.co/blog/ten-process-injection-techniques-technical-survey-common-and-trending-process
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for T1055.002 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.