LoFP LoFP / admin nslookup usage

Techniques

Sample rules

DNS Exfiltration Using Nslookup App

Description

The following analytic identifies potential DNS exfiltration using the nslookup application. It detects specific command-line parameters such as query type (TXT, A, AAAA) and retry options, which are commonly used by attackers to exfiltrate data. The detection leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process execution logs. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to communicate with a Command and Control (C2) server or exfiltrate sensitive data. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to data breaches and unauthorized access to critical information.

Detection logic


| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` values(Processes.process) as process values(Processes.process_id) as process_id values(Processes.parent_process) as parent_process count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name = "nslookup.exe" Processes.process = "*-querytype=*" OR Processes.process="*-qt=*" OR Processes.process="*-q=*" OR Processes.process="*-type=*" OR Processes.process="*-retry=*" by Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.parent_process_name  
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `dns_exfiltration_using_nslookup_app_filter`