Detection rules › Splunk

Windows Developer-Signed MSIX Package Installation

Author
Michael Haag, Splunk
Source
upstream

This detection identifies the installation of developer-signed MSIX packages that lack Microsoft Store signatures. All malicious MSIX packages observed in recent threat campaigns (including those from FIN7, Zloader/Storm-0569, and FakeBat/Storm-1113) were developer-signed rather than Microsoft Store signed. Microsoft Store apps have specific publisher IDs containing '8wekyb3d8bbwe' or 'cw5n1h2txyewy', while developer-signed packages lack these identifiers. This detection focuses on EventID 855 from the Microsoft-Windows-AppXDeployment-Server/Operational logs, which indicates a completed package installation.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
ExecutionT1204.002 User Execution: Malicious File
Defense EvasionT1553.005 Subvert Trust Controls: Mark-of-the-Web Bypass

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
AppXDeployment-Server855Finished resolving action lists.

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

search NOT PackageMoniker IN ("*8wekyb3d8bbwe*", "*cw5n1h2txyewy*") EventCode=855

Stage 2: stats

stats BY dvc, EventCode, user_id

Stage 3: rename

rename

Stage 4: search

search

Stage 5: search

search

Stage 6: search

search `macro`

Exclusions

Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts — predicates this rule actively suppresses.

StageFieldKindExcluded values
1PackageMonikerin"*8wekyb3d8bbwe*", "*cw5n1h2txyewy*"

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.

FieldKindValues
EventCodeeq
  • 855