﻿---
title: Suspicious CertUtil Commands
description: Identifies suspicious commands being used with certutil.exe. CertUtil is a native Windows component which is part of Certificate Services. CertUtil is...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2808/reference/security/prebuilt-rules/rules/windows/defense_evasion_suspicious_certutil_commands
products:
  - Elastic Security
---

# Suspicious CertUtil Commands
Identifies suspicious commands being used with certutil.exe. CertUtil is a native Windows component which is part of
Certificate Services. CertUtil is often abused by attackers to live off the land for stealthier command and control or
data exfiltration.
**Rule type**: eql
**Rule indices**:
- endgame-*
- logs-crowdstrike.fdr*
- logs-endpoint.events.process-*
- logs-m365_defender.event-*
- logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*
- logs-system.security*
- logs-windows.forwarded*
- logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*
- winlogbeat-*

**Rule Severity**: medium
**Risk Score**: 47
**Runs every**: 
**Searches indices from**: `now-9m`
**Maximum alerts per execution**: 100
**References**:
- [[https://twitter.com/Moriarty_Meng/status/984380793383370752](https://twitter.com/Moriarty_Meng/status/984380793383370752)](https://twitter.com/Moriarty_Meng/status/984380793383370752)
- [[https://twitter.com/egre55/status/1087685529016193025](https://twitter.com/egre55/status/1087685529016193025)](https://twitter.com/egre55/status/1087685529016193025)
- [[https://www.sysadmins.lv/blog-en/certutil-tips-and-tricks-working-with-x509-file-format.aspx](https://www.sysadmins.lv/blog-en/certutil-tips-and-tricks-working-with-x509-file-format.aspx)](https://www.sysadmins.lv/blog-en/certutil-tips-and-tricks-working-with-x509-file-format.aspx)
- [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/pki/basic-crl-checking-with-certutil](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/pki/basic-crl-checking-with-certutil)](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/pki/basic-crl-checking-with-certutil)
- [[https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/siestagraph-new-implant-uncovered-in-asean-member-foreign-ministry](https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/siestagraph-new-implant-uncovered-in-asean-member-foreign-ministry)](https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/siestagraph-new-implant-uncovered-in-asean-member-foreign-ministry)

**Tags**:
- Domain: Endpoint
- OS: Windows
- Use Case: Threat Detection
- Tactic: Defense Evasion
- Data Source: Elastic Endgame
- Resources: Investigation Guide
- Data Source: Elastic Defend
- Data Source: Windows Security Event Logs
- Data Source: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Data Source: Sysmon
- Data Source: SentinelOne
- Data Source: Crowdstrike

**Version**: 315
**Rule authors**:
- Elastic
- Austin Songer

**Rule license**: Elastic License v2

## Investigation guide


## Triage and analysis


### Investigating Suspicious CertUtil Commands

`certutil.exe` is a command line utility program that is included with Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is used to manage and manipulate digital certificates and certificate services on computers running Windows.
Attackers can abuse `certutil.exe` utility to download and/or deobfuscate malware, offensive security tools, and certificates from external sources to take the next steps in a compromised environment. This rule identifies command line arguments used to accomplish these behaviors.> **Note**:
This investigation guide uses the [Osquery Markdown Plugin](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/invest-guide-run-osquery.html) introduced in Elastic Stack version 8.5.0. Older Elastic Stack versions will display unrendered Markdown in this guide.

#### Possible investigation steps

- Investigate the script execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures.
- Investigate other alerts associated with the user/host during the past 48 hours.
- Examine the command line to determine the nature of the execution.
  - If files were downloaded, retrieve them and check whether they were run, and under which security context.
- If files were obfuscated or deobfuscated, retrieve them.
- Examine the host for derived artifacts that indicate suspicious activities:
  - Analyze the involved files using a private sandboxed analysis system.
- Observe and collect information about the following activities in both the sandbox and the alert subject host:
  - Attempts to contact external domains and addresses.
  - Use the Elastic Defend network events to determine domains and addresses contacted by the subject process by filtering by the process' `process.entity_id`.
- Examine the DNS cache for suspicious or anomalous entries.
  - $osquery_0
- Use the Elastic Defend registry events to examine registry keys accessed, modified, or created by the related processes in the process tree.
- Examine the host services for suspicious or anomalous entries.
  - $osquery_1
- $osquery_2
- $osquery_3
- Retrieve the files' SHA-256 hash values using the PowerShell `Get-FileHash` cmdlet and search for the existence and reputation of the hashes in resources like VirusTotal, Hybrid-Analysis, CISCO Talos, Any.run, etc.


### False positive analysis

- If this rule is noisy in your environment due to expected activity, consider adding exceptions — preferably with a combination of user and command line conditions.


### Response and remediation

- Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage.
- Isolate the involved host to prevent further post-compromise behavior.
- If the triage identified malware, search the environment for additional compromised hosts.
  - Implement temporary network rules, procedures, and segmentation to contain the malware.
- Stop suspicious processes.
- Immediately block the identified indicators of compromise (IoCs).
- Inspect the affected systems for additional malware backdoors like reverse shells, reverse proxies, or droppers that attackers could use to reinfect the system.
- Remove and block malicious artifacts identified during triage.
- Run a full antimalware scan. This may reveal additional artifacts left in the system, persistence mechanisms, and malware components.
- Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector.
- Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).


## Rule Query

```eql
process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
  (process.name : "certutil.exe" or ?process.pe.original_file_name == "CertUtil.exe") and
  process.args : ("?decode", "?encode", "?urlcache", "?verifyctl", "?encodehex", "?decodehex", "?exportPFX")
```

**Framework:** MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic:
  - Name: Defense Evasion
- Id: TA0005
- Reference URL: [[https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/](https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/)](https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/)
- Technique:
  - Name: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- Id: T1140
- Reference URL: [[https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1140/](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1140/)](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1140/)