Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Unusual FileZilla XML Config Access
The following analytic identifies processes accessing FileZilla XML config files such as recentservers.xml and sitemanager.xml. It leverages Windows Security Event logs, specifically monitoring EventCode 4663, which tracks object access events. This activity is significant because it can indicate unauthorized access or manipulation of sensitive configuration files used by FileZilla, a popular FTP client. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to data exfiltration, credential theft, or further compromise of the system.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Credential Access | T1552.001 Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Security-Auditing | 4663 | An attempt was made to access an object. |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search NOT ProcessName IN ("C:\Program Files (x86)\\FileZilla FTP Client\\filezilla.exe", "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft OneDrive\\OneDrive.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\FileZilla FTP Client\\filezilla.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft OneDrive\\OneDrive.exe") EventCode=4663 file_path IN ("*FileZilla\\recentservers.xml*", "*FileZilla\\sitemanager.xml*")
Stage 2: stats
stats BY ObjectName, ObjectType, ProcessName, AccessMask, process_id, EventCode, Computer, Caller_User_Name
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.
| Stage | Field | Kind | Excluded values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | process_name | in | "C:\Program Files (x86)\\FileZilla FTP Client\\filezilla.exe", "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft OneDrive\\OneDrive.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\FileZilla FTP Client\\filezilla.exe", "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft OneDrive\\OneDrive.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.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
EventCode | eq |
|
file_path | in |
|
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 Credential Access From Browser Password Store (drops 2 filters this rule applies)