Detection rules › Splunk
Windows AD Suspicious Attribute Modification
This detection monitors changes to the following Active Directory attributes: "msDS-AllowedToDelegateTo", "msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity", "msDS-KeyCredentialLink", "scriptPath", and "msTSInitialProgram". Modifications to these attributes can indicate potential malicious activity or privilege escalation attempts. Immediate investigation is recommended upon alert.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Defense Evasion | T1222.001 File and Directory Permissions Modification: Windows File and Directory Permissions Modification, T1550 Use Alternate Authentication Material |
| Lateral Movement | T1550 Use Alternate Authentication Material |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Security-Auditing | 5136 | A directory service object was modified. |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search AttributeLDAPDisplayName IN ("msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity", "msDS-AllowedToDelegateTo", "msTSInitialProgram", "scriptPath") EventCode=5136 OperationType="%%14674"
Stage 2: table
table AttributeLDAPDisplayName, AttributeValue, DSName, ObjectClass, ObjectDN, OpCorrelationID, SubjectLogonId, _time, src_user
Stage 3: rename
rename
Stage 4: appendpipe
appendpipe
Stage 5: stats
stats BY TargetLogonId
Stage 6: rex
rex field=ObjectDN ...
Stage 7: eval
eval ... using (ObjectClass, cn, null)
Stage 8: fields
fields cn
Stage 9: search
search `macro`
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.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
AttributeLDAPDisplayName | in |
|
EventCode | eq |
|
OperationType | eq |
|
Neighbors
Broader alternatives (more inclusive than this rule)
These rules match a superset of what this rule catches. They cover the same events plus more. Use them if you want wider coverage and can absorb more false positives.
- Windows AD Dangerous Deny ACL Modification (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Windows AD Object Owner Updated (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Windows AD Self DACL Assignment (drops 2 filters this rule applies)