Create or delete windows shares using net exe

SPLUNK detection rule by Bhavin Patel, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects the creation or deletion of Windows shares using the net.exe command. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data to identify processes involving net.exe with actions related to share management. This activity is significant because it may indicate an attacker attempting to manipulate network shares for malicious purposes, such as data exfiltration, malware distribution, or establishing persistence. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, service disruption, or malware introduction. Immediate investigation is required to determine the intent and mitigate potential threats.

name: Create or delete windows shares using net exe
id: 743a322c-9a68-4a0f-9c17-85d9cce2a27c
version: 18
creation_date: '2020-04-29'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Bhavin Patel, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects the creation or deletion of Windows shares using the net.exe command. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data to identify processes involving net.exe with actions related to share management. This activity is significant because it may indicate an attacker attempting to manipulate network shares for malicious purposes, such as data exfiltration, malware distribution, or establishing persistence. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, service disruption, or malware introduction. Immediate investigation is required to determine the intent and mitigate potential threats.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search: |-
    | tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count values(Processes.user) as user values(Processes.parent_process) as parent_process min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
      WHERE `process_net`
      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)`
    | search process IN ("*share* /delete*", "*share* /REMARK:*", "*share* /CACHE:*")
    | `create_or_delete_windows_shares_using_net_exe_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: Administrators often leverage net.exe to create or delete network shares. You should verify that the activity was intentional and is legitimate.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1070/005/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  user = "$user$" dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$", "$dest$") | 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: An instance of $parent_process_name$ spawning $process_name$ was identified on endpoint $dest$ by user $user$ enumerating Windows file shares.
    entity:
        field: user
        type: user
        score: 50
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 50
          message: An instance of $parent_process_name$ spawning $process_name$ was identified on endpoint $dest$ by user $user$ enumerating Windows file shares.
threat_objects:
    - field: parent_process_name
      type: parent_process_name
    - field: process_name
      type: process_name
analytic_story:
    - Hidden Cobra Malware
    - CISA AA22-277A
    - Windows Post-Exploitation
    - Prestige Ransomware
    - DarkGate Malware
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1070.005
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/T1070.005/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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04317117-3725-4a3a-9e81-027ecad32259

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