{"description":"Trending threats, MITRE ATT\u0026CK coverage, and detection metadata — refreshed continuously.","feed_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/tags/network_connection/","home_page_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/","items":[{"_cs_actors":[],"_cs_cves":[],"_cs_exploited":false,"_cs_products":["Splunk Enterprise","Splunk Enterprise Security","Splunk Cloud"],"_cs_severities":["high"],"_cs_tags":["network_connection","windows","suspicious_location"],"_cs_type":"advisory","_cs_vendors":["Splunk"],"content_html":"\u003cp\u003eThis analytic identifies network connections initiated by processes located in unusual or suspicious Windows directories. These directories, including Recycle Bin, Config\\SystemProfile, PerfLogs, Users\\All Users, Users\\Default, Users\\Public, Windows\\addins, Windows\\Fonts, and Windows\\IME, are often targeted by malware to execute malicious code while bypassing traditional security measures. The activity can represent a compromised endpoint and lead to command-and-control communication, staging of further attacks, or data exfiltration. Defenders should prioritize investigation of processes originating from these locations that initiate network connections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"attack-chain\"\u003eAttack Chain\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMalware gains initial access via an exploit or social engineering.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malware drops an executable into a suspicious directory (e.g., \u003ccode\u003e$Recycle.Bin\u003c/code\u003e).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malware establishes persistence, potentially by creating a scheduled task or registry entry.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe dropped executable initiates a network connection to an external IP address using standard protocols such as TCP or UDP.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malware receives commands from a command-and-control (C2) server.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malware stages additional payloads or tools in the compromised directory.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe malware executes further malicious actions, such as data exfiltration.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"impact\"\u003eImpact\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompromised endpoints can lead to significant data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage. Malware residing in unusual directories allows attackers to bypass standard security measures and establish persistence on victim machines. This detection helps identify such compromises early, mitigating potential damage and limiting the attacker\u0026rsquo;s ability to further compromise the environment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"recommendation\"\u003eRecommendation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeploy the Sigma rule \u003ccode\u003eNetwork Connection from Process in Suspicious Windows Directory\u003c/code\u003e to your SIEM and tune for your environment.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnable Sysmon EventID 3 logging to capture network connection events, as specified in the \u003ccode\u003edata_source\u003c/code\u003e section.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInvestigate any alerts generated by the Sigma rule to identify potentially compromised endpoints and malicious processes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReview and allow trusted processes that legitimately run from these folders to reduce false positives, as mentioned in \u003ccode\u003eknown_false_positives\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImplement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of compromised endpoints.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","date_modified":"2024-01-03T12:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-01-03T12:00:00Z","id":"/briefs/2024-01-suspect-network-location/","summary":"Detection of network connections originating from processes running within suspicious Windows directories, indicating potential malware execution and command-and-control activity.","title":"Network Connections from Processes in Suspicious Windows Directories","url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-suspect-network-location/"}],"language":"en","title":"CraftedSignal Threat Feed — Network_connection","version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1"}