Detect Odbcconf in Elastic Security
Adversaries may abuse odbcconf.exe to proxy execution of malicious payloads. Odbcconf.exe is a Windows utility that allows configuration of Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) drivers and data source names. Like regsvr32, odbcconf.exe has a REGSVR flag that can be abused to execute DLLs (e.g., odbcconf.exe /S /A {REGSVR "C:\Users\Public\file.dll"}). Since odbcconf.exe is digitally signed by Microsoft, it can bypass application control solutions that allowlist Microsoft-signed binaries. Groups including Cobalt Group, Bumblebee malware, and Raspberry Robin have leveraged this technique for DLL execution.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Defense Evasion
- Technique
- T1218 System Binary Proxy Execution
- Sub-technique
- T1218.008 Odbcconf
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/008/
Elastic Detection Query
process where event.type == "start"
and process.name : "odbcconf.exe"
and (
process.args : "*REGSVR*"
or process.args : ("*http://*", "*https://*", "*\\\\*")
or (
process.args : ("*Temp*", "*AppData*", "*Downloads*", "*Public*", "*Desktop*", "*ProgramData*")
and process.parent.name : ("cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "wscript.exe", "cscript.exe", "mshta.exe")
)
)Detects abuse of odbcconf.exe for proxy execution of malicious DLLs via the REGSVR flag, remote loading from UNC paths or HTTP URLs, or execution from suspicious directories by script interpreter parents. Covers MITRE T1218.008.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate ODBC driver installation or update scripts executed by IT admins using odbcconf.exe with REGSVR to register valid drivers stored in standard program directories
- Software deployment tools (SCCM, Intune) running odbcconf.exe from ProgramData as part of application provisioning pipelines
- Database middleware installers that invoke odbcconf.exe from a parent process like cmd.exe during legitimate silent installation routines
Other platforms for T1218.008
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 1Odbcconf REGSVR DLL Execution from Temp
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: odbcconf.exe with REGSVR, /S, and Temp path. Sysmon Event ID 7 (Image Load) for the DLL being loaded by odbcconf. Security Event ID 4688.
- Test 2Odbcconf Launched from PowerShell
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: powershell.exe then odbcconf.exe with ParentImage=powershell.exe, REGSVR in command line. Both SuspiciousParent and REGSVRFlag fire.
- Test 3Odbcconf Response File Execution
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 11: RSP file written to Temp. Sysmon Event ID 1: odbcconf.exe with /S /F and Temp path for the response file. The REGSVR instruction is inside the file, not on the command line.
References (6)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/008/
- https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Odbcconf/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/odbc/odbcconf-exe
- https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/cobalt-spam-runs-use-macros-cve-2017-8759-exploit/
- https://www.cybereason.com/blog/threat-alert-bumblebee-malware
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1218.008/T1218.008.md
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