Suspicious Inter-Process Communication via Outlook

Elastic Stack Serverless Security

Detects Inter-Process Communication with Outlook via Component Object Model from an unusual process. Adversaries may target user email to collect sensitive information or send email on their behalf via API.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

• logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5m

Searches indices from: now-9m (https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/common-options.html#date-math[Date Math format], see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

• https://github.com/center-for-threat-informed-defense/adversary_emulation_library/blob/master/apt29/Archive/CALDERA_DIY/evals/payloads/stepSeventeen_email.ps1

Tags:

• Elastic
• Host
• Windows
• Threat Detection
• Collection

Version: 1

Rule authors:

• Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

process where event.action == "start" and process.name : "OUTLOOK.EXE"  and
 process.Ext.effective_parent.name != null and
 not process.Ext.effective_parent.executable : ("?:\\Program Files\\*", "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*")

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

• Tactic:

  • Name: Collection
  • ID: TA0009
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0009/

• Technique:

  • Name: Email Collection
  • ID: T1114
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1114/

• Sub-technique:

  • Name: Local Email Collection
  • ID: T1114.001
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1114/001/

• Tactic:

  • Name: Execution
  • ID: TA0002
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/

• Technique:

  • Name: Inter-Process Communication
  • ID: T1559
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1559/

• Sub-technique:

  • Name: Component Object Model
  • ID: T1559.001
  • Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1559/001/