Techniques
Sample rules
Notepad with no Command Line Arguments
- source: splunk
- technicques:
- T1055
Description
The following analytic identifies instances where Notepad.exe is launched without any command line arguments, a behavior commonly associated with the SliverC2 framework. This detection leverages process creation events from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on processes initiated by Notepad.exe within a short time frame. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to inject malicious code into Notepad.exe, a known tactic for evading detection. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise and unauthorized access.
Detection logic
| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name=notepad.exe AND Processes.action!="blocked" by host _time span=1h Processes.process_id Processes.process_name Processes.dest Processes.process_path Processes.process Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| regex process="(?i)(notepad\.exe.{0,4}$)"
| `notepad_with_no_command_line_arguments_filter`