Advanced IP or Port Scanner Execution

SPLUNK detection rule by Nasreddine Bencherchali, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects the execution of network scanning utilities such as Advanced IP Scanner or Advanced Port Scanner. These legitimate administrative tools are often leveraged by threat actors and ransomware operators during the discovery phase to enumerate active hosts and open ports within a target environment. Detection is based on process creation telemetry referencing known executable names, original file names, or specific command-line parameters such as "/portable" and "/lng" that are characteristic of these tools. If confirmed malicious, this activity may indicate internal reconnaissance aimed at identifying reachable systems or services prior to lateral movement or further post-compromise actions.

name: Advanced IP or Port Scanner Execution
id: 9a4e50c7-5b62-4d52-93b4-f2b61332e9a5
version: 4
creation_date: '2025-10-24'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: |
    The following analytic detects the execution of network scanning utilities such as Advanced IP Scanner or Advanced Port Scanner.
    These legitimate administrative tools are often leveraged by threat actors and ransomware operators during the discovery phase to enumerate active hosts and open ports within a target environment.
    Detection is based on process creation telemetry referencing known executable names, original file names, or specific command-line parameters such as "/portable" and "/lng" that are characteristic of these tools.
    If confirmed malicious, this activity may indicate internal reconnaissance aimed at identifying reachable systems or services prior to lateral movement or further post-compromise actions.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search: |
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
      count min(_time) as firstTime
            max(_time) as lastTime

      from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where
        Processes.process_name IN ("advanced_ip_scanner.exe", "advanced_ip_scanner_console.exe", "advanced_port_scanner.exe", "advanced_port_scanner_console.exe")
        OR
        Processes.original_file_name IN ("advanced_ip_scanner.exe", "advanced_ip_scanner_console.exe", "advanced_port_scanner.exe", "advanced_port_scanner_console.exe")
        OR (
        Processes.process = "* /portable *"
        Processes.process = "* /lng *"
        )

      by Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process
         Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id
         Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path Processes.process Processes.process_exec
         Processes.process_guid Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
         Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product

    | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
    | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
    | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
    | `advanced_ip_or_port_scanner_execution_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: |
    Legitimate administrators or IT staff may use Advanced IP or Port Scanner for authorized
    network management or inventory purposes. Validate the context of execution and apply any filters as necessary.
references:
    - https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2019/12/09/snatch-ransomware-reboots-pcs-into-safe-mode-to-bypass-protection/
    - https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/tactics-techniques-procedures-associated-with-maze-ransomware-incidents/
    - https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20444693/fbi-pin-egregor-ransomware-bc-01062021.pdf
    - https://thedfirreport.com/2021/01/18/all-that-for-a-coinminer
    - https://github.com/3CORESec/MAL-CL/tree/master/Descriptors/Other/Advanced%20IP%20Scanner
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$" and "$user$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$" user = "$user$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$" and "$user$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$", "$user$") | 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"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 20
          message: Execution of Advanced IP or Port Scanner detected via $process$ on $dest$
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
          message: Execution of Advanced IP or Port Scanner detected via $process$ on $dest$
analytic_story:
    - Windows Defense Evasion Tactics
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1046
    - T1135
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/attack_techniques/T1046/advanced_ip_port_scanner/advanced_ip_port_scanner.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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3dd35b30-a3d4-4416-ab44-4774187bb1ff

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Executable code, not a declarative rule

This submission is arbitrary [[ currentRule.format ? currentRule.format.toUpperCase() : '' ]] code, not a declarative detection rule — review it as you would any script before running it, and note that it cannot be safely aggregated or auto-executed alongside YARA/Sigma/Suricata/CRS rules.

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Format & documentation suggestions

Not a security issue — this rule is valid and was accepted as-is. These are optional fields/conventions its own format recommends, mainly affecting its quality score and how well it documents itself for other reviewers.

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