Detect Process Doppelganging in Google Chronicle
Adversaries may inject malicious code into process via process doppelganging in order to evade process-based defenses as well as possibly elevate privileges. Process doppelganging abuses Windows Transactional NTFS (TxF) to perform a fileless variation of process injection. The technique involves four steps: Transact (create a TxF transaction and overwrite a legitimate executable with malicious code), Load (create a shared section from the modified file), Rollback (undo the file changes, removing malicious code from disk), and Animate (create a process from the tainted memory section). This evades detection because the malicious code never exists on disk in its final form and the technique avoids highly-monitored API functions like NtUnmapViewOfSection.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Technique
- T1055 Process Injection
- Sub-technique
- T1055.013 Process Doppelgänging
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/013/
YARA-L Detection Query
rule process_doppelganging_t1055_013 {
meta:
author = "df00tech"
description = "Detects Process Doppelganging via NTFS Transaction API usage or anomalous system process spawning (T1055.013)"
mitre_attack_technique = "T1055.013"
mitre_attack_tactic = "Defense Evasion, Privilege Escalation"
severity = "CRITICAL"
confidence = "MEDIUM"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/013/"
events:
$e.metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH"
(
re.regex(
$e.target.process.command_line,
`(?i)(createfiletransacted|ntcreatesection|rollbacktransaction|ntcreateprocessex)`
)
or (
re.regex(
$e.target.process.file.full_path,
`(?i)\\(svchost|explorer|notepad|cmd)\.exe$`
)
and not re.regex(
$e.principal.process.file.full_path,
`(?i)\\(services|svchost|winlogon|userinit|wininit)\.exe$`
)
)
)
condition:
$e
}Chronicle YARA-L 2.0 rule detecting Process Doppelganging using UDM PROCESS_LAUNCH events. Matches TxF API function names in process command-line fields and identifies anomalous parent-child relationships where known Windows system binaries are spawned by unexpected parents. Compatible with Sysmon and MDE telemetry forwarded to Chronicle.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) or Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure that creates atypical process parent chains for system binaries during VM lifecycle management
- Enterprise asset management or endpoint management platforms that invoke system utilities from their own agent parent processes during inventory or remediation
- DFIR tooling and incident response platforms that run system binaries from analyst-controlled parent processes during live forensic acquisition
Other platforms for T1055.013
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 1NTFS Transaction API Check
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: PowerShell execution. The API check itself generates no injection telemetry — it only verifies API availability.
- Test 2Kernel Transaction Manager Log Verification
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: PowerShell querying event log configuration. No security event generated — this is a configuration check.
- Test 3Process Doppelganging Detection via Hollowing Artifacts
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: notepad.exe spawned by PowerShell. The parent-child anomaly (notepad from PowerShell) triggers Process Hollowing detections that also cover Doppelganging.
References (5)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1055/013/
- https://www.blackhat.com/docs/eu-17/materials/eu-17-Liberman-Lost-In-Transaction-Process-Doppelganging.pdf
- https://hshrzd.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/process-doppelganging-a-new-way-to-impersonate-a-process/
- https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/desktop/bb968806.aspx
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1055.013/T1055.013.md
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