Detect Obtain Capabilities in IBM QRadar
This detection identifies adversary capability acquisition activity manifesting within the victim environment — specifically, the arrival, staging, and first execution of known offensive tools, exploit frameworks, and dual-use security utilities. While T1588 is a PRE-ATT&CK technique occurring outside the victim network, its downstream effects are observable: offensive tools landing in atypical directories (Temp, Downloads, user profile paths), processes executing with names or command-line arguments matching known offensive frameworks (Cobalt Strike, Mimikatz, Rubeus, Sliver, Havoc, Impacket), downloads via living-off-the-land binaries (certutil, bitsadmin, curl), and network connections to known exploit distribution infrastructure. The detection correlates process creation events, file download artifacts, and network telemetry to surface high-risk capability introductions across Windows and Linux endpoints.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Resource Development
- Technique
- T1588 Obtain Capabilities
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1588/
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
DATEFORMAT(devicetime,'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS EventTime,
sourceip AS HostIP, username,
"Image" AS ProcessImage, "CommandLine",
"ParentImage" AS ParentProcess,
CASE
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%mimikatz%' OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%invoke-mimikatz%' THEN 100
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%cobalt%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%meterpreter%' THEN 95
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%bloodhound%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%sharphound%' THEN 85
WHEN "CommandLine" ILIKE '%-enc %' OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%bypass%' THEN 70
ELSE 50
END AS RiskScore,
CASE
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%mimikatz%' THEN 'Credential Dumping Tool'
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%cobalt%' THEN 'C2 Framework'
WHEN "Image" ILIKE '%bloodhound%' THEN 'AD Recon Tool'
ELSE 'Offensive Tool'
END AS ToolCategory
FROM events
WHERE eventid = 1
AND (
"Image" ILIKE '%mimikatz%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%rubeus%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%bloodhound%'
OR "Image" ILIKE '%sharphound%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%cobalt%' OR "Image" ILIKE '%meterpreter%'
OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%invoke-mimikatz%' OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%invoke-bloodhound%'
OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%-encoded %' OR "CommandLine" ILIKE '%-enc %'
)
AND LOGSOURCETYPENAME(devicetype) ILIKE '%sysmon%'
ORDER BY RiskScore DESC
LAST 24 HOURSQRadar AQL detection for Obtain Capabilities. Detects potential capability acquisition activity across three branches: (1) execution of processes matching known offensive tool names or command-line patterns, (2) living-off-the-land binaries (cert
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Authorized penetration testing using offensive security tools
- Red team exercises using dual-use security tools
- Security researchers analyzing offensive tools in isolated labs
- IT administrators using dual-use tools for authorized troubleshooting
Other platforms for T1588
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 1LOLBin Capability Download via CertUtil
Expected signal: Sysmon EventCode=1 with Image=certutil.exe, CommandLine containing '-urlcache' and '-split'; Sysmon EventCode=11 (FileCreate) for the downloaded file in %TEMP%; possible DNS query in EventCode=22 for the target hostname
- Test 2PowerShell Download Cradle to Staging Path
Expected signal: Sysmon EventCode=1 with Image=powershell.exe and CommandLine containing 'DownloadFile' and 'WebClient'; Sysmon EventCode=3 (NetworkConnect) to target IP; Sysmon EventCode=11 (FileCreate) in %TEMP%
- Test 3Offensive Tool Naming Pattern Execution from Temp
Expected signal: Sysmon EventCode=1 with Image path containing %TEMP%\mimikatz_test.exe; parent process is cmd.exe; CommandLine includes /all argument; Sysmon EventCode=11 for file copy to staging path
- Test 4BITS Transfer Capability Staging
Expected signal: Sysmon EventCode=1 with Image=bitsadmin.exe and CommandLine containing '/transfer' and target URL; Sysmon EventCode=11 for file creation in %TEMP%; Windows Event 16403 in Microsoft-Windows-Bits-Client/Operational log recording the completed transfer job
References (6)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1588/
- https://www.citizenlab.ca/2021/07/nso-group-pegasus-spyware-2021/
- https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/09/comodo-hacker-i-hacked-diginotar-too/
- https://www.recordedfuture.com/blog/nation-state-intelligence-buying-commercial-malware
- https://thedfirreport.com/2021/08/29/cobalt-strike-a-defenders-guide/
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/tree/master/atomics/T1588
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for T1588 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.