
Summary
This rule is designed to detect the utilization of Windows Defender's command-line utility 'MpCmdRun.EXE' to download files. The MpCmdRun.EXE binary is a legitimate tool used primarily for managing and updating Windows Defender configurations and performing scans. However, it can also be exploited by malicious actors to download files from the internet under the guise of legitimate processes. The detection methodology leverages process creation logs to identify when MpCmdRun.EXE is executed with a command line that contains the keywords 'DownloadFile' and 'url', indicating a file download operation. This rule checks for processes where the original file name matches 'MpCmdRun.exe' or where the process was created from paths ending with 'MpCmdRun.exe'. Additionally, it looks for the description that identifies the process as the Microsoft Malware Protection Command Line Utility. When these conditions are met, an alert is generated, allowing for further investigation of potential malicious activities.
Categories
- Windows
- Endpoint
Data Sources
- Process
Created: 2020-09-04