Microsoft IIS Service Account Password Dumped

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Identifies the Internet Information Services (IIS) command-line tool, AppCmd, being used to list passwords. An attacker with IIS web server access via a web shell can decrypt and dump the IIS AppPool service account password using AppCmd.

Rule type: eql

Rule indices:

  • winlogbeat-*
  • logs-endpoint.events.*
  • logs-windows.*

Severity: high

Risk score: 73

Runs every: 5 minutes

Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 33

References:

Tags:

  • Elastic
  • Host
  • Windows
  • Threat Detection
  • Credential Access

Version: 7 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.10.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.4.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Investigation guide

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Rule query

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process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and
(process.name : "appcmd.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name ==
"appcmd.exe") and process.args : "/list" and process.args :
"/text*password"

Threat mapping

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Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

Rule version history

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Version 7 (8.4.0 release)
  • Updated query, changed from:

    process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and
    (process.name : "appcmd.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name ==
    "appcmd.exe") and process.args : "/list" and process.args :
    "/text*password"
Version 5 (8.2.0 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 4 (7.12.0 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 3 (7.11.2 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 2 (7.11.0 release)
  • Updated query, changed from:

    event.category:process AND event.type:(start OR process_started) AND
    (process.name:appcmd.exe OR process.pe.original_file_name:appcmd.exe
    or winlog.event_data.OriginalFileName:appcmd.exe) AND
    process.args:(/[lL][iI][sS][tT]/ AND
    /\/[tT][eE][xX][tT]\:[pP][aA][sS][sS][wW][oO][rR][dD]/)