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Elastic Docs ›Elastic Security Solution [8.5] ›Detections and alerts ›Prebuilt rule reference
« Suspicious WMI Image Load from MS Office Suspicious WerFault Child Process »

Suspicious WMIC XSL Script Executionedit

Identifies WMIC allowlist bypass techniques by alerting on suspicious execution of scripts. When WMIC loads scripting libraries it may be indicative of an allowlist bypass.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

  • winlogbeat-*
  • logs-endpoint.events.*
  • logs-windows.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5 minutes

Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

Tags:

  • Elastic
  • Host
  • Windows
  • Threat Detection
  • Defense Evasion

Version: 101 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.10.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.5.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Rule queryedit

sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan = 2m [process where
event.type == "start" and (process.name : "WMIC.exe" or
process.pe.original_file_name : "wmic.exe") and process.args :
("format*:*", "/format*:*", "*-format*:*") and not
process.command_line : "* /format:table *"] [any where (event.category
== "library" or (event.category == "process" and event.action : "Image
loaded*")) and (dll.name : ("jscript.dll", "vbscript.dll") or
file.name : ("jscript.dll", "vbscript.dll"))]

Threat mappingedit

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

Rule version historyedit

Version 101 (8.5.0 release)

  • Updated query, changed from:

    sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan = 2m [process where
event.type in ("start", "process_started") and (process.name :
"WMIC.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name : "wmic.exe") and
process.args : ("format*:*", "/format*:*", "*-format*:*") and not
process.command_line : "* /format:table *"] [any where (event.category
== "library" or (event.category == "process" and event.action : "Image
loaded*")) and (dll.name : ("jscript.dll", "vbscript.dll") or
file.name : ("jscript.dll", "vbscript.dll"))]
Version 5 (8.4.0 release)

  • Updated query, changed from:

    sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan = 2m [process where
event.type in ("start", "process_started") and (process.name :
"WMIC.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name : "wmic.exe") and
process.args : ("format*:*", "/format*:*", "*-format*:*") and not
process.command_line : "* /format:table *"] [library where event.type
== "start" and dll.name : ("jscript.dll", "vbscript.dll")]
Version 3 (8.1.0 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 2 (7.12.0 release)

  • Updated query, changed from:

    sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan=2m [process where
event.type in ("start", "process_started") and (process.name :
"WMIC.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "wmic.exe") and
wildcard(process.args, "format*:*", "/format*:*", "*-format*:*") and
not wildcard(process.command_line, "* /format:table *")] [library
where event.type == "start" and file.name in ("jscript.dll",
"vbscript.dll")]
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