Detectionhightest
Suspicious AddinUtil.EXE CommandLine Execution
Detects execution of the Add-In deployment cache updating utility (AddInutil.exe) with suspicious Addinroot or Pipelineroot paths. An adversary may execute AddinUtil.exe with uncommon Addinroot/Pipelineroot paths that point to the adversaries Addins.Store payload.
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Launch
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Michael McKinley, Tony LatteriCreated Mon Sep 18631b22a4-70f4-4e2f-9ea8-42f84d9df6d8windows
Log Source
WindowsProcess Creation
ProductWindows← raw: windows
CategoryProcess Creation← raw: process_creation
Events generated when a new process is spawned on the system. Covers command-line arguments, parent/child relationships, and process metadata.
Detection Logic
Detection Logic4 selectors
detection:
selection_img:
- Image|endswith: '\addinutil.exe'
- OriginalFileName: 'AddInUtil.exe'
selection_susp_1_flags:
CommandLine|contains:
- '-AddInRoot:'
- '-PipelineRoot:'
selection_susp_1_paths:
CommandLine|contains:
- '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
- '\Desktop\'
- '\Downloads\'
- '\Users\Public\'
- '\Windows\Temp\'
selection_susp_2:
CommandLine|contains:
- '-AddInRoot:.'
- '-AddInRoot:"."'
- '-PipelineRoot:.'
- '-PipelineRoot:"."'
CurrentDirectory|contains:
- '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
- '\Desktop\'
- '\Downloads\'
- '\Users\Public\'
- '\Windows\Temp\'
condition: selection_img and (all of selection_susp_1_* or selection_susp_2)False Positives
Unknown
False positive likelihood has not been assessed. Additional context may be needed during triage.
References
MITRE ATT&CK
Tactics
Techniques
Rule Metadata
Rule ID
631b22a4-70f4-4e2f-9ea8-42f84d9df6d8
Status
test
Level
high
Type
Detection
Created
Mon Sep 18
Path
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_addinutil_suspicious_cmdline.yml
Raw Tags
attack.defense-evasionattack.t1218