Name:Windows Application Whitelisting Bypass Attempt via Rundll32 id:1ef5dab0-e1f1-495d-a272-d134583c10b1 version:1 date:2025-10-06 author:Michael Haag, Splunk status:production type:TTP Description:The following analytic detects the execution of rundll32.exe calling one of the following DLLs:
- Advpack.dll
- Ieadvpack.dll
- Syssetup.dll
- Setupapi.dll
with one of the following functions: "LaunchINFSection", "InstallHinfSection", "SetupInfObjectInstallAction".
This method is identified through Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry,
focusing on command-line executions and process details.
This activity is significant as it indicates a potential application
control or whitelisting bypass, allowing script code execution from a file.
If confirmed malicious, an attacker could execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to privilege escalation,
persistence, or further network compromise.
Investigate the script content, network connections, and any spawned child processes for further context.
Data_source:
-Sysmon EventID 1
-Windows Event Log Security 4688
-CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search:| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where `process_rundll32` Processes.process IN ("*syssetup*", "*advpack*", "*setupapi*") Processes.process IN ("*LaunchINFSection*", "*InstallHinfSection*", "*SetupInfObjectInstallAction*") 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_application_whitelisting_bypass_attempt_via_rundll32_filter`
how_to_implement:The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection
and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related
telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search,
you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process.
Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions.
These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to
the EDR product.
The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model.
Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives:Although unlikely, some legitimate applications may leverage one of the following DLLs syssetup.dll, dvpack.dll, ieadvpack.dll and can trigger a false positive. Apply additional filters as needed.
References: -https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/011/ -https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1218.011/T1218.011.md -https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Rundll32/ -https://bohops.com/2018/02/26/leveraging-inf-sct-fetch-execute-techniques-for-bypass-evasion-persistence/ -https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Libraries/Advpack/ -https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Libraries/Ieadvpack/ -https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Libraries/Setupapi/ -https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Libraries/Syssetup/ drilldown_searches: name:'View the detection results for - "$user$" and "$dest$"' search:'%original_detection_search% | search user = "$user$" dest = "$dest$"' earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$' latest_offset:'$info_max_time$' name:'View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$" and "$dest$"' search:'| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$", "$dest$") starthoursago=168 | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`' earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$' latest_offset:'$info_max_time$' tags: analytic_story: - 'Suspicious Rundll32 Activity' - 'Living Off The Land' - 'Compromised Windows Host' asset_type:Endpoint mitre_attack_id: - 'T1218.011' product: - 'Splunk Enterprise' - 'Splunk Enterprise Security' - 'Splunk Cloud' security_domain:endpoint
