LoFP LoFP / legitimate administrators might create an \"esx admins\" group for valid reasons. verify that the group creation is authorized and part of normal administrative tasks. consider the context of the action, such as the user performing it and any related activities.

Techniques

Sample rules

Windows ESX Admins Group Creation via Net

Description

This analytic detects attempts to create an “ESX Admins” group using the Windows net.exe or net1.exe commands. This activity may indicate an attempt to exploit the VMware ESXi Active Directory Integration Authentication Bypass vulnerability (CVE-2024-37085). Attackers can use this method to gain unauthorized access to ESXi hosts by recreating the “ESX Admins” group after its deletion from Active Directory.

Detection logic


| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
  WHERE `process_net` Processes.process="*group*" Processes.process="*ESX Admins*"
    AND
    Processes.process="*/add*"
  BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name
     Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid
     Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
     Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
     Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
     Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
     Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product

| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`

| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`

| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`

| `windows_esx_admins_group_creation_via_net_filter`

Windows ESX Admins Group Creation via PowerShell

Description

This analytic detects attempts to create an “ESX Admins” group using PowerShell commands. This activity may indicate an attempt to exploit the VMware ESXi Active Directory Integration Authentication Bypass vulnerability (CVE-2024-37085). Attackers can use this method to gain unauthorized access to ESXi hosts by recreating the ‘ESX Admins’ group after its deletion from Active Directory.

Detection logic

`powershell` EventCode=4104 (ScriptBlockText="*New-ADGroup*" OR ScriptBlockText="*New-LocalGroup*") ScriptBlockText="*ESX Admins*"
  
| fillnull
  
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
    BY dest signature signature_id
       user_id vendor_product EventID
       Guid Opcode Name
       Path ProcessID ScriptBlockId
       ScriptBlockText
  
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  
| `windows_esx_admins_group_creation_via_powershell_filter`