Detect Hardware Additions in IBM QRadar
Adversaries may physically introduce computer accessories, networking hardware, or other computing devices into a system or network to gain access or expand capabilities. Hardware additions range from passive network taps (Throwing Star LAN Tap) to active keystroke injection devices (USB Rubber Ducky, Bash Bunny, O.MG Cable), rogue wireless access points, DMA attack devices (PCILeech), and fully autonomous compute devices (Raspberry Pi, netbooks) providing persistent network footholds. Unlike purely software-based attacks, hardware additions require physical proximity to target systems and can bypass many software security controls by presenting as trusted peripherals. The DarkVishnya threat group is documented connecting Bash Bunny, Raspberry Pi, and inexpensive netbooks directly to victim organization networks to establish persistent access and conduct internal reconnaissance. Detection relies primarily on monitoring for unexpected device class connections via Windows Plug and Play audit events, correlating new HID device connections with subsequent automated keystroke injection patterns, and identifying new network interfaces with unknown MAC addresses appearing on internal segments.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access
- Technique
- T1200 Hardware Additions
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1200/
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
DATEFORMAT(starttime, 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS EventTime,
logsourcename(logsourceid) AS LogSource,
CATEGORYNAME(category) AS EventCategory,
username AS SubjectUserName,
EXTRACT("SubjectDomainName", EventData) AS SubjectDomain,
hostname AS ComputerName,
EXTRACT("ClassName", EventData) AS ClassName,
EXTRACT("DeviceId", EventData) AS DeviceId,
EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) AS HardwareIds,
CASE
WHEN EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_2B04|VID_16D0|VID_2E8A|VID_2341|VID_1B4F|VID_221A|VID_04D8)'
THEN 'Known pentest/attack hardware VID detected'
WHEN LOWER(EXTRACT("ClassName", EventData)) = 'hidclass'
AND NOT EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_045E|VID_046D|VID_05AC|VID_413C|VID_03F0|VID_17EF|VID_047D|VID_046A)'
THEN 'Unknown vendor HID device — possible keystroke injector'
WHEN EXTRACT("ClassName", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(^Net$|WLAN|Bluetooth)'
AND EXTRACT("DeviceId", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)USB'
AND NOT EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_045E|VID_046D|VID_05AC|VID_413C|VID_03F0|VID_17EF)'
THEN 'Unknown USB network adapter — possible LAN tap'
ELSE 'Suspicious device class connection'
END AS RiskReason
FROM events
WHERE
LOGSOURCETYPEID = 12 /* Microsoft Windows Security Event Log */
AND qidname(qid) = 'A new external device was recognized by the system'
AND eventid = 6416
AND (
EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_2B04|VID_16D0|VID_2E8A|VID_2341|VID_1B4F|VID_221A|VID_04D8)'
OR (
LOWER(EXTRACT("ClassName", EventData)) = 'hidclass'
AND NOT EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_045E|VID_046D|VID_05AC|VID_413C|VID_03F0|VID_17EF|VID_047D|VID_046A|VID_1B1C|VID_1532|VID_1038|VID_04B3|VID_04CA|VID_0461)'
)
OR (
EXTRACT("ClassName", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(^Net$|WLAN|Bluetooth|Net Service)'
AND EXTRACT("DeviceId", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)USB'
AND NOT EXTRACT("HardwareIds", EventData) MATCHES '(?i)(VID_045E|VID_046D|VID_05AC|VID_413C|VID_03F0|VID_17EF)'
)
)
AND starttime > NOW() - 86400000
ORDER BY starttime DESC
LAST 24 HOURSQRadar AQL query detecting T1200 Hardware Additions via Windows Security Event 6416. Identifies known pentest hardware VIDs (Hak5/Bash Bunny, Digispark, Raspberry Pi Pico, Arduino), unrecognized HID devices potentially performing keystroke injection, and unknown USB network adapters that may be passive LAN taps or rogue network interfaces. Requires Windows Security log source configured in QRadar.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Niche or regional peripheral vendors not included in the legitimate VID allowlist triggering false HID alerts
- IT helpdesk technicians connecting USB diagnostic tools or specialty input devices during troubleshooting sessions
- USB tethering from employee mobile phones creating USB network interfaces classified as suspicious adapters
Other platforms for T1200
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 1Install Microsoft Loopback Network Adapter via devcon
Expected signal: Windows Security Event ID 6416: ClassName=Net, ClassId={4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}, DeviceId=ROOT\NET\0001 or similar, HardwareIds=*MSLOOP. Windows System Event IDs 20001 and 20003 in System log for driver installation. Entry in C:\Windows\INF\setupapi.dev.log with timestamp and INF path.
- Test 2Enumerate Connected HID Devices via PowerShell
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=powershell.exe and CommandLine containing 'Get-PnpDevice' and 'HIDClass'. Security Event ID 4688 (if command line auditing enabled). PowerShell ScriptBlock Log Event ID 4104 with the full device enumeration script.
- Test 3Query USB Device Connection History via Registry
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create for reg.exe with CommandLine containing 'HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB'. Sysmon Event ID 1 also for findstr.exe. Security Event ID 4688 (if enabled) for both processes. Registry access events may be logged depending on SACL configuration.
- Test 4Simulate Keystroke Injection via PowerShell SendKeys
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create for powershell.exe initiated by the calling process, plus any processes spawned by the injected keystrokes. If Sysmon monitors for the parent process chain, keystrokes injected into an Explorer window will show explorer.exe as parent. PowerShell ScriptBlock Log Event ID 4104 for both the outer and any inner PowerShell sessions.
References (9)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1200/
- https://securelist.com/darkvishnya/89169/
- https://ossmann.blogspot.com/2011/02/throwing-star-lan-tap.html
- https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/03/the-pwn-plug-is-a-little-white-box-that-can-hack-your-network/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-6416
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/advanced-security-audit-policy-settings
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/devcon-command-syntax
- https://github.com/hak5/bashbunny-payloads
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/devio/device-management-events
Unlock Pro Content
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