Technique with 3 sub-techniques.View on attack.mitre.org
Adversaries may employ various means to detect and avoid virtualization and analysis environments. This may include changing behaviors based on the results of checks for the presence of artifacts indicative of a virtual machine environment (VME) or sandbox. If the adversary detects a VME, they may alter their malware to disengage from the victim or conceal the core functions of the implant. They may also search for VME artifacts before dropping secondary or additional payloads. Adversaries may use the information learned from Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors.
Adversaries may use several methods to accomplish Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion such as checking for security monitoring tools (e.g., Sysinternals, Wireshark, etc.) or other system artifacts associated with analysis or virtualization. Adversaries may also check for legitimate user activity to help determine if it is in an analysis environment. Additional methods include use of sleep timers or loops within malware code to avoid operating within a temporary sandbox.
Rules on DetectionCode tagged with T1497 or one of its sub-techniques.
| Rule | Level | Log source | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powershell Detect Virtualization Environment | medium | windows / ps_script | T1497.001 |
| System Information Discovery Using System_Profiler | medium | macos / process_creation | T1497.001 |
| System Information Discovery Via Sysctl - MacOS | medium | macos / process_creation | T1497.001 |
| Rule | Type | Risk | Data source | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headless Browser Usage | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Ping Sleep Batch Command | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497.003 |
| Windows Chromium Browser Launched with Small Window Size | TTP | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Chromium Browser No Security Sandbox Process | TTP | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Chromium Browser with Custom User Data Directory | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Chromium process Launched with Disable Popup Blocking | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Chromium Process Launched with Logging Disabled | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Chromium Process with Disabled Extensions | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497 |
| Windows Time Based Evasion | TTP | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497.003 |
| Windows Time Based Evasion via Choice Exec | Anomaly | NULL | Sysmon EventID 1, Windows Event Log Security 4688, CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 | T1497.003 |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| GroupContagious Interview | Contagious Interview has requested victims to disable Docker and other container environments in attempts to thwart container isolation and ensure device infection. |
| GroupDarkhotel | Darkhotel malware has employed just-in-time decryption of strings to evade sandbox detection. |
| GroupSaint Bear | Saint Bear contains several anti-analysis and anti-virtualization checks. |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| MalwareAgent Tesla | Agent Tesla has the ability to perform anti-sandboxing and anti-virtualization checks. |
| MalwareBazar | Bazar can attempt to overload sandbox analysis by sending 1550 calls to |
| MalwareBisonal | Bisonal can check to determine if the compromised system is running on VMware. |
| MalwareBlack Basta | Black Basta can make a random number of calls to the `kernel32.beep` function to hinder log analysis. |
| MalwareBumblebee | Bumblebee has the ability to perform anti-virtualization checks. |
| MalwareCarberp | Carberp has removed various hooks before installing the trojan or bootkit to evade sandbox analysis or other analysis software. |
| MalwareCHOPSTICK | CHOPSTICK includes runtime checks to identify an analysis environment and prevent execution on it. |
| MalwareCozyCar | Some versions of CozyCar will check to ensure it is not being executed inside a virtual machine or a known malware analysis sandbox environment. If it detects that it is, it will exit. |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| CampaignOperation Spalax | During Operation Spalax, the threat actors used droppers that would run anti-analysis checks before executing malware on a compromised host. |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK® (Enterprise). ATT&CK® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
