# T1546 - Event Triggered Execution

## SOC Recommendation
Investigate Event Triggered Execution activity in the context of Privilege Escalation/Persistence: confirm scope, affected host/identity, and whether it matches expected administrative behaviour before deciding this is benign.

## D3FEND Mappings
| D3FEND Technique | Relationship | Practical SOC Action |
|---|---|---|
| File Analysis | Detect | Monitor for File Analysis indicators relevant to this technique. |
| File Encryption | Harden | Apply File Encryption to reduce this technique's viability before an incident occurs. |
| File Eviction | Evict | Use File Eviction to remove the adversary's foothold once this technique is confirmed. |
| Content Filtering | Isolate | Apply Content Filtering to contain the blast radius once this technique is observed. |

## Investigation Steps
1. Review Defender for Endpoint / Defender XDR alerts and timeline for the affected host or identity.
2. Check Sentinel analytics rules and incidents correlated with this technique.
3. Review Entra ID sign-in and audit logs if the technique involves an identity or cloud resource.

## Evidence to Collect
- Host or resource affected
- Account or identity involved
- Timestamp of the activity
- Related process, file, or network artifact
- Any preceding or follow-on alerts

## Response Actions
| Action | Risk | Automation Safe | Approval Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contain the affected host or account | Medium | No | Yes |
| Collect and preserve evidence | Low | Yes | No |

## KQL
```kql
let SunburstMD5=dynamic(["b91ce2fa41029f6955bff20079468448","02af7cec58b9a5da1c542b5a32151ba1","2c4a910a1299cdae2a4e55988a2f102e","846e27a652a5e1bfbd0ddd38a16dc865","4f2eb62fa529c0283b28d05ddd311fae"]);
let SupernovaMD5="56ceb6d0011d87b6e4d7023d7ef85676";
imFileEvent
| where TargetFileMD5 in (SunburstMD5) or TargetFileMD5 in (SupernovaMD5)
| extend AccountName = tostring(split(User, @'\')[1]), AccountNTDomain = tostring(split(User, @'\')[0])
| extend AlgorithmType = "MD5"
```
```kql
let iocs = externaldata(DateAdded:string,IoC:string,Type:string,TLP:string) [@"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/master/Sample%20Data/Feeds/SOURGUM.csv"] with (format="csv", ignoreFirstRecord=True);
let domains = (iocs | where Type =~ "domainname"| project IoC);
let sha256Hashes = (iocs | where Type =~ "sha256" | project IoC);
let file_path1 = (iocs | where Type =~ "filepath1" | project IoC);
let file_path2 = (iocs | where Type =~ "filepath2" | project IoC);
let file_path3 = (iocs | where Type =~ "filepath3" | project IoC);
let reg_key = (iocs | where Type =~ "regkey" | project IoC);
(union isfuzzy=true
(CommonSecurityLog
| where DestinationHostName has_any (domains) or RequestURL has_any (domains) or Message has_any (domains)
| parse Message with * '(' DNSName ')' *
| project TimeGenerated, Message, SourceUserID, RequestURL, DestinationHostName, Type, SourceIP, DestinationIP, DNSName
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, AccountCustomEntity = SourceUserID, UrlCustomEntity = RequestURL , IPCustomEntity = DestinationIP, DNSCustomEntity = DNSName
),
(DnsEvents
| where Name in~ (domains)
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, IPAddresses, Name, ClientIP, Type
| extend DNSName = Name, Host = Computer
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = Host, DNSCustomEntity = DNSName, IPCustomEntity = IPAddresses
),
(VMConnection
| where  RemoteDnsCanonicalNames has_any (domains)
| parse RemoteDnsCanonicalNames with * '["' DNSName '"]' *
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Direction, RemoteDnsCanonicalNames, ProcessName, SourceIp, DestinationIp, DestinationPort, DNSName,BytesSent, BytesReceived, RemoteCountry, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, IPCustomEntity = DestinationIp, HostCustomEntity = Computer, ProcessCustomEntity = ProcessName, DNSCustomEntity = DNSName
),
(Event
| where Source == "Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon"
| where EventID == 3
| extend EvData = parse_xml(EventData)
| extend EventDetail = EvData.DataItem.EventData.Data
| extend SourceIP = tostring(EventDetail.[9].["#text"]), DestinationIP = tostring(EventDetail.[14].["#text"]), Image = EventDetail.[4].["#text"]
| where Image has_any (file_path1) or Image has_any (file_path3)
| project TimeGenerated, SourceIP, DestinationIP, Image, UserName, Computer, EventDetail, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, AccountCustomEntity = UserName, ProcessCustomEntity = tostring(split(Image, '\\', -1)[-1]), HostCustomEntity = Computer , IPCustomEntity = DestinationIP
),  
(DeviceNetworkEvents
| where (RemoteUrl has_any (domains))  or (InitiatingProcessSHA256 in (sha256Hashes) and InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path1)) or InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path3)
| project TimeGenerated, ActionType, DeviceId, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFolderPath, InitiatingProcessId, InitiatingProcessParentFileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, RemoteIP, RemoteUrl, LocalIP, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, IPCustomEntity = RemoteIP, HostCustomEntity = DeviceName, UrlCustomEntity =RemoteUrl
),
(AzureDiagnostics
| where ResourceType == "AZUREFIREWALLS"
| where Category == "AzureFirewallDnsProxy"
| project TimeGenerated,Resource, msg_s, Type
| parse msg_s with "DNS Request: " ClientIP ":" ClientPort " - " QueryID " " Request_Type " " Request_Class " " Request_Name ". " Request_Protocol " " Request_Size " " EDNSO_DO " " EDNS0_Buffersize " " Responce_Code " " Responce_Flags " " Responce_Size " " Response_Duration
| where Request_Name has_any (domains)
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, DNSName = Request_Name, IPCustomEntity = ClientIP
),
(AzureDiagnostics
| where ResourceType == "AZUREFIREWALLS"
| where Category == "AzureFirewallApplicationRule"
| project TimeGenerated,Resource, msg_s
| parse msg_s with Protocol 'request from ' SourceHost ':' SourcePort 'to ' DestinationHost ':' DestinationPort '. Action:' Action
| where DestinationHost has_any (domains)  
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, DNSName = DestinationHost, IPCustomEntity = SourceHost
),
(AZFWDnsQuery
| where QueryName has_any (domains)
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, DNSName = QueryName, IPCustomEntity = SourceIp
),
(AZFWApplicationRule
| where Fqdn has_any (domains)
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, DNSName = Fqdn, IPCustomEntity = SourceIp
),
(Event
| where Source == "Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon"
| where EventID == 1
| extend EvData = parse_xml(EventData)
| extend EventDetail = EvData.DataItem.EventData.Data
| parse EventDetail with * 'SHA256=' SHA256 '",' *
| extend Image = EventDetail.[4].["#text"],  CommandLine = EventDetail.[10].["#text"]
| where (SHA256 has_any (sha256Hashes) and Image has_any (file_path1)) or (Image has_any (file_path3)) or ( CommandLine has_any (file_path3)) or ( CommandLine has_any (file_path1)) or ( CommandLine has 'reg add' and CommandLine has_any (reg_key) and CommandLine has_any (file_path2)) 
| project TimeGenerated, EventDetail, UserName, Computer, Type, Source, SHA256, CommandLine, Image
| extend Type = strcat(Type, ": ", Source)
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = Computer , AccountCustomEntity = UserName, ProcessCustomEntity = tostring(split(Image, '\\', -1)[-1]), AlgorithmCustomEntity = "SHA256", FileHashCustomEntity = SHA256
),
(DeviceRegistryEvents
| where RegistryKey has_any (reg_key) and RegistryValueData has_any (file_path2)
|  project TimeGenerated, ActionType, DeviceId, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFolderPath, InitiatingProcessId, InitiatingProcessParentFileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessSHA256, Type 
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = DeviceName , AccountCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessAccountName, ProcessCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessFileName, AlgorithmCustomEntity = "SHA256", FileHashCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessSHA256
),
(DeviceProcessEvents
| where  ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path1)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path3)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has 'reg add' and InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (reg_key) and InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path2)) or (InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path1)) or (InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path3)) or (FolderPath  has_any (file_path1)) or (FolderPath has_any (file_path3))
| project TimeGenerated, ActionType, DeviceId, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFolderPath, InitiatingProcessId, InitiatingProcessParentFileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessSHA256, FolderPath, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = DeviceName , AccountCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessAccountName, ProcessCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessFileName, AlgorithmCustomEntity = "SHA256", FileHashCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessSHA256
),
(DeviceFileEvents
| where  (InitiatingProcessSHA256 has_any (sha256Hashes) and InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path1)) or (InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path3)) or (FolderPath  has_any (file_path1)) or (FolderPath  has_any (file_path3)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path1)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path3))
| project TimeGenerated, ActionType, DeviceId, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFolderPath, InitiatingProcessId, InitiatingProcessParentFileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, RequestAccountName, RequestSourceIP, InitiatingProcessSHA256, FolderPath, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = DeviceName , AccountCustomEntity = RequestAccountName, ProcessCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessFileName, AlgorithmCustomEntity = "SHA256", FileHashCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessSHA256
),
(DeviceEvents
| where  ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path1)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path3)) or ( InitiatingProcessCommandLine has 'reg add' and InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (reg_key) and InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any (file_path2)) or (InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path1)) or (InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (file_path3)) or (FolderPath  has_any (file_path1)) or (FolderPath has_any (file_path3))
| project TimeGenerated, ActionType, DeviceId, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFolderPath, InitiatingProcessId, InitiatingProcessParentFileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessSHA256, FolderPath, Type
| extend CommandLine = InitiatingProcessCommandLine
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = DeviceName , AccountCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessAccountName, ProcessCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessFileName, AlgorithmCustomEntity = "SHA256", FileHashCustomEntity = InitiatingProcessSHA256
),
(  SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4688
| where ( CommandLine has_any (file_path1)) or ( CommandLine has_any (file_path3)) or ( CommandLine has 'reg add' and CommandLine has_any (reg_key) and CommandLine has_any (file_path2)) or (NewProcessName has_any (file_path1)) or (NewProcessName has_any (file_path3)) or (ParentProcessName has_any (file_path1)) or (ParentProcessName has_any (file_path3))
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, NewProcessName, ParentProcessName, Account, NewProcessId, Type
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated, HostCustomEntity = Computer , AccountCustomEntity = Account, ProcessCustomEntity = NewProcessName
)
)
```
```kql
CopilotActivity
| where RecordType == "CreateCopilotPlugin"
| where ActorUserType != "Admin"
| extend Data = parse_json(LLMEventData)
| extend Plugin = tostring(Data.Resource[0].Property)
| project TimeGenerated, ActorName, ActorUserId, SrcIpAddr, Plugin
```

## Escalation Criteria
- Event Triggered Execution activity observed on a privileged account or critical system.
- Activity follows or precedes other suspicious behaviour in the same investigation.
- Automated triage cannot confidently rule out malicious intent.

## False Positive Considerations
- Legitimate administrative or maintenance activity matching this pattern.
- Approved security testing or red team exercise.
- Known benign software producing similar telemetry.

Generated by SOC Response Atlas by Basyrix.