limited false positives should be present. it is possible some third party applications may use older versions of psexec, filter as needed.

Techniques

T1569.002

Sample rules

Detect Renamed PSExec

source: splunk
technicques:
- T1569.002

Description

The following analytic identifies instances where PsExec.exe has been renamed and executed on an endpoint. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names and original file names. This activity is significant because renaming PsExec.exe is a common tactic to evade detection. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute commands remotely, potentially leading to unauthorized access, lateral movement, or further compromise of the network.

Detection logic


| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
  WHERE (
        Processes.process_name!=psexec.exe
        AND
        Processes.process_name!=psexec64.exe
    )
    AND Processes.original_file_name=psexec.c
  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)`

| `detect_renamed_psexec_filter`