HackTool - NetExec Execution

Severity: high
Author: Chirag Damani
Source: upstream

Detects execution of the hacktool NetExec. NetExec (formerly CrackMapExec) is a widely used post-exploitation tool designed for Active Directory penetration testing and network enumeration In enterprise environments, the use of NetExec is considered suspicious or potentially malicious because it enables attackers to enumerate hosts, exploit network services, and move laterally across systems. Threat actors and red teams commonly use NetExec to identify vulnerable systems, harvest credentials, and execute commands remotely.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Discovery	`T1018` Remote System Discovery
Lateral Movement	`T1021` Remote Services

Event coverage

Provider	Event ID	Title
Sysmon	1	Process creation
Security-Auditing	4688	A new process has been created.

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: `selection`

or:
CommandLine|contains: ' ftp '
CommandLine|contains: ' ldap '
CommandLine|contains: ' mssql '
CommandLine|contains: ' nfs '
CommandLine|contains: ' rdp '
CommandLine|contains: ' smb '
CommandLine|contains: ' ssh '
CommandLine|contains: ' vnc '
CommandLine|contains: ' winrm '
CommandLine|contains: ' wmi '
Image|endswith: '\nxc.exe'

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.