Adversaries may establish persistence by executing malicious content triggered by Netsh Helper DLLs. Netsh.exe (also referred to as Netshell) is a command-line scripting utility used to interact with the network configuration of a system. It contains functionality to add helper DLLs for extending functionality of the utility.(Citation: TechNet Netsh) The paths to registered netsh.exe helper DLLs are entered into the Windows Registry at <code>HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Netsh</code>.
Adversaries can use netsh.exe helper DLLs to trigger execution of arbitrary code in a persistent manner. This execution would take place anytime netsh.exe is executed, which could happen automatically, with another persistence technique, or if other software (ex: VPN) is present on the system that executes netsh.exe as part of its normal functionality.(Citation: Github Netsh Helper CS Beacon)(Citation: Demaske Netsh Persistence)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| attribute.integrity.variety.Alter behavior | Influence or alter human behavior | related-to | T1546.007 | Netsh Helper DLL |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| file_integrity_monitoring | Microsoft Defender for Cloud: File Integrity Monitoring | technique_scores | T1546.007 | Netsh Helper DLL |
Comments
This control may detect changes to the Windows registry or files that indicate event triggered execution. The specificity of registry keys and files used in creation or modification of these scheduled tasks may reduce the false positive rate. This control at worst scans for changes on an hourly basis.
References
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| google_secops | Google Security Operations | technique_scores | T1546.007 | Netsh Helper DLL |
Comments
Google Security Ops is able to generate alerts based off suspicious events, for example: execution of arbitrary code triggered by Netsh Helper DLLs (Netshell (Netsh.exe)).
This technique was scored as minimal based on low or uncertain detection coverage factor.
https://github.com/chronicle/detection-rules/blob/783e0e5947774785db1c55041b70176deeca6f46/soc_prime_rules/threat_hunting/windows/possible_system_network_configuration_discovery__sysmon_windows_logs.yaral
References
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