Malicious InProcServer32 Modification

SPLUNK detection rule by Michael Haag, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects a process modifying the registry with a known malicious CLSID under InProcServer32. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on registry modifications within the HKLM or HKCU Software Classes CLSID paths. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to load a malicious DLL, potentially leading to code execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to persist in the environment, execute arbitrary code, or escalate privileges, posing a severe threat to system integrity and security.

name: Malicious InProcServer32 Modification
id: 127c8d08-25ff-11ec-9223-acde48001122
version: 11
creation_date: '2021-10-05'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects a process modifying the registry with a known malicious CLSID under InProcServer32. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on registry modifications within the HKLM or HKCU Software Classes CLSID paths. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt to load a malicious DLL, potentially leading to code execution. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to persist in the environment, execute arbitrary code, or escalate privileges, posing a severe threat to system integrity and security.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 12
    - Sysmon EventID 13
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path="*\\CLSID\\{89565275-A714-4a43-912E-978B935EDCCC}\\InProcServer32\\(Default)" by Registry.action Registry.dest Registry.process_guid Registry.process_id Registry.registry_hive Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_type Registry.status Registry.user Registry.vendor_product | `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `malicious_inprocserver32_modification_filter`'
how_to_implement: The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives: False positives should be limited, filter as needed. In our test case, Remcos used regsvr32.exe to modify the registry. It may be required, dependent upon the EDR tool producing registry events, to remove (Default) from the command-line.
references:
    - https://bohops.com/2018/06/28/abusing-com-registry-structure-clsid-localserver32-inprocserver32/
    - https://tria.ge/210929-ap75vsddan
    - https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/cb77b93150cb0f7fe65ce8a7e2a5781e727419451355a7736db84109fa215a89
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
finding:
    title: A process identified on endpoint $dest$ modifying the registry with a known malicious clsid under InProcServer32.
    entity:
        field: dest
        type: system
        score: 50
analytic_story:
    - Suspicious Regsvr32 Activity
    - Remcos
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1218.010
    - T1112
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/malware/remcos/remcos/windows-sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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