Detect Run Virtual Instance in Google Chronicle
Adversaries may carry out malicious operations using a virtual instance to avoid detection. By running malicious code inside a VM, adversaries hide artifacts from security tools that cannot monitor guest activity. Ransomware groups (Maze, Ragnar Locker) used VirtualBox with shared folders mapped to host drives to encrypt files while evading endpoint protection. LoudMiner ran XMRig inside QEMU/VirtualBox Linux VMs for cryptomining. On ESXi, adversaries create rogue VMs via /bin/vmx directly, bypassing vCenter visibility checks. Windows Sandbox .wsb configuration files support LogonCommand payloads and MappedFolder host filesystem access, abused by MirrorFace APT. The CronTrap campaign used QEMU to stage malware inside emulated Linux environments on Windows hosts.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Defense Evasion
- Technique
- T1564 Hide Artifacts
- Sub-technique
- T1564.006 Run Virtual Instance
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1564/006/
YARA-L Detection Query
rule t1564_006_run_virtual_instance {
meta:
author = "df00tech"
description = "Detects execution of virtualization binaries (VirtualBox, QEMU, VMware, Windows Sandbox) from unexpected paths or spawned by suspicious parents, indicative of T1564.006 Run Virtual Instance evasion."
mitre_attack_tactic = "Defense Evasion"
mitre_attack_technique = "T1564.006"
severity = "HIGH"
confidence = "HIGH"
version = "1.0"
created = "2026-04-21"
events:
$e.metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH"
(
re.regex($e.target.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(VBoxHeadless|VBoxManage|VBoxSVC|VirtualBox|VBoxSDL|qemu-system-x86_64|qemu-system-i386|qemu-system-aarch64|qemu-img|vmrun|WindowsSandbox)\.exe$`)
or re.regex($e.target.process.command_line, `(?i)\.wsb`)
)
not re.regex($e.target.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(Program Files\\(Oracle|VMware|QEMU|Windows Sandbox)|Windows\\System32|Windows\\SysWOW64)`)
match:
$e.principal.hostname over 5m
outcome:
$risk_score = max(
if(re.regex($e.target.process.command_line, `(?i)(--headless|--type\s+headless|--startvm|-headless|-nographic)`), 20, 0) +
if(re.regex($e.target.process.command_line, `(?i)(sharedfolder\s+add|MappedFolder|sharedlocation|-virtfs|--shared)`), 25, 0) +
if(re.regex($e.principal.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(powershell|pwsh|cmd|wscript|cscript|mshta|rundll32|regsvr32|winword|excel|outlook|acrord32)\.exe$`), 30, 0) +
if(re.regex($e.target.process.command_line, `(?i)\.wsb`), 20, 0) +
5
)
$hostname = $e.principal.hostname
$username = $e.principal.user.userid
$process_path = $e.target.process.file.full_path
$command_line = $e.target.process.command_line
$parent_process = $e.principal.process.file.full_path
condition:
$e and $risk_score >= 25
}Chronicle YARA-L 2.0 rule detecting virtual instance execution for defense evasion (T1564.006). Matches PROCESS_LAUNCH events where virtualization binaries run from non-standard paths or are invoked by suspicious parent processes. Uses UDM fields with risk scoring for headless mode, shared folder access, suspicious parent chain, and .wsb invocation.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate virtualization administrators running VBoxManage or QEMU commands via scripted automation tools that appear in the suspicious parent list
- Software testing pipelines that invoke Windows Sandbox .wsb configurations from build automation scripts (cmd.exe or PowerShell)
- Custom VirtualBox or QEMU installations to non-Program Files directories by package managers or portable application setups
Other platforms for T1564.006
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 1Windows Sandbox .wsb Execution with MappedFolder and LogonCommand
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=WindowsSandbox.exe, CommandLine containing 'argus_test_T1564006.wsb'. Sysmon Event ID 11: File Create for the .wsb file in %TEMP%. Security Event ID 4688 (if command-line auditing enabled) for the PowerShell process writing the .wsb file.
- Test 2VBoxManage Shared Folder Add Targeting Host Root Drive
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe, CommandLine containing 'sharedfolder add' and '--hostpath C:\' and '--automount'. The command returns an error (VM not found) but the process creation event is generated.
- Test 3QEMU Headless Execution from Non-Standard Path
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 11: File Create for svchost32.exe in %TEMP% (copy of QEMU binary). Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=%TEMP%\svchost32.exe, CommandLine containing '-nographic -m 64 -snapshot'. The QEMU binary copy will also generate a DeviceFileEvents entry in MDE.
- Test 4QEMU Virtual Machine Execution on Linux
Expected signal: Syslog/auditd: process creation for qemu-system-x86_64 with arguments '-m 64 -nographic -snapshot -hda /dev/null'. Linux auditd EXECVE syscall event showing full argument list. If using Defender for Endpoint Linux agent: DeviceProcessEvents entry with FileName=qemu-system-x86_64 and ProcessCommandLine containing '-nographic'.
References (10)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1564/006/
- https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/05/21/ragnar-locker-ransomware-deploys-virtual-machine-to-dodge-security/
- https://cybercx.com.au/blog/akira-ransomware/
- https://www.securonix.com/blog/crontrap-emulated-linux-environments-as-the-latest-tactic-in-malware-staging/
- https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/operation-akairyu-mirrorface-invites-europe-expo-2025-revives-anel-backdoor/
- https://medium.com/mitre-engenuity/infiltrating-defenses-abusing-vmware-in-mitres-cyber-intrusion-4ea647b83f5b
- https://vninja.net/2024/11/11/beware-of-the-rogue-vms/
- https://blog-en.itochuci.co.jp/entry/2025/03/12/140000
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1564.006/T1564.006.md
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/application-security/application-isolation/windows-sandbox/windows-sandbox-configure-using-wsb-file
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