Privileges Elevation via Parent Process PID Spoofingedit

Identifies parent process spoofing used to create an elevated child process. Adversaries may spoof the parent process identifier (PPID) of a new process to evade process-monitoring defenses or to elevate privileges.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

  • logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: high

Risk score: 73

Runs every: 5 minutes

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

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

Tags:

  • Elastic
  • Host
  • Windows
  • Threat Detection
  • Privilege Escalation

Version: 1

Added (Elastic Stack release): 8.6.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Rule queryedit

/* This rule is compatible with Elastic Endpoint only */ process
where event.action == "start" and /* process creation via seclogon
*/ process.parent.Ext.real.pid > 0 and /* PrivEsc to SYSTEM */
user.id : "S-1-5-18" and /* Common FPs - evasion via hollowing is
possible, should be covered by code injection */ not
process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\WerFault.exe",
"?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\WerFault.exe",
"?:\\Windows\\System32\\WerFaultSecure.exe",
"?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\WerFaultSecure.exe",
"?:\\Windows\\System32\\Wermgr.exe",
"?:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\Wermgr.exe", "?:\\W
indows\\SoftwareDistribution\\Download\\Install\\securityhealthsetup.e
xe") and not process.parent.executable :
"?:\\Windows\\System32\\AtBroker.exe" and not
(process.code_signature.subject_name in ("philandro
Software GmbH", "Freedom Scientific Inc.", "TeamViewer Germany GmbH",
"Projector.is, Inc.", "TeamViewer GmbH", "Cisco WebEx
LLC", "Dell Inc") and process.code_signature.trusted == true)

Threat mappingedit

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM