Coverage › CVE-2021-22986

CVE-2021-22986 Mapped Sigma

F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management iControl REST Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Vendor / product: F5 — BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management
Description (CISA): F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management contain a remote code execution vulnerability in the iControl REST interface that allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to execute system commands, create or delete files, and disable services.
Added to KEV: 2021-11-03
Due date: 2021-11-17
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Known ransomware use: Known
CWE: CWE-863
CISA notes: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22986
Elsewhere: cve.org · NVD · CISA KEV · JSON

ATT&CK techniques · CTID Mappings Explorer, ATT&CK 16.1, KEV snapshot 2025-07-28

5 mapping objects across 5 techniques. exploitation technique states how the vulnerability is exploited; primary and secondary impact state what exploitation achieves. They are different claims and are labelled as such.

Technique	Mapping type	CTID comment	Status in v19.2
T1133 External Remote Services	exploitation technique	The iControl REST interface has an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability. This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers with network access to the iControl REST interface, through the BIG-IP management interface and self IP addresses, to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, and disable services. ref 1 · ref 2 · ref 3	live
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application	exploitation technique	CVE-2021-22986 is a remote command execution vulnerability occurring on the iControl REST interface. Impact reported by the F5 security advisory "This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers with network access to the iControl REST interface, through the BIG-IP management interface and self IP addresses, to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, and disable services. This vulnerability can only be exploited through the control plane and cannot be exploited through the data plane. Exploitation can lead to complete system compromise. " ref 1 · ref 2 · ref 3	live
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter	primary impact	CVE-2021-22986 is a remote command execution vulnerability occurring on the iControl REST interface. Impact reported by the F5 security advisory "This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers with network access to the iControl REST interface, through the BIG-IP management interface and self IP addresses, to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, and disable services. This vulnerability can only be exploited through the control plane and cannot be exploited through the data plane. Exploitation can lead to complete system compromise. " ref 1 · ref 2 · ref 3	live
T1090 Proxy	primary impact	The iControl REST interface has an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability. This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers with network access to the iControl REST interface, through the BIG-IP management interface and self IP addresses, to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, and disable services. ref 1 · ref 2 · ref 3	live
T1485 Data Destruction	secondary impact	CVE-2021-22986 is a remote command execution vulnerability occurring on the iControl REST interface. Impact reported by the F5 security advisory "This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers with network access to the iControl REST interface, through the BIG-IP management interface and self IP addresses, to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, and disable services. This vulnerability can only be exploited through the control plane and cannot be exploited through the data plane. Exploitation can lead to complete system compromise. " ref 1 · ref 2 · ref 3	live

Detection chain · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2 detection strategies, analytics, log sources

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter primary impact

DET0516 Behavioral Detection of Command and Scripting Interpreter Abuse
AN1428 Windows
Detects the execution of scripting or command interpreters (e.g., powershell.exe, cmd.exe, wscript.exe) outside expected administrative time windows or from abnormal user contexts, often followed by encoded/obfuscated arguments or secondary execution events.

WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1 → DC0032 Process Creation

Tunable: CommandLinePattern ParentProcessName TimeWindow

AN1429 Linux
Detects use of shell interpreters (e.g., bash, sh, python, perl) initiated by users or processes not normally executing them, especially when chaining suspicious utilities like netcat, curl, or ssh.

auditd:SYSCALL execve → DC0032 Process Creation

Tunable: InterpreterName UserContext ExecutionChainLength

AN1430 macOS
Detects launch of command-line interpreters via Terminal, Automator, or hidden osascript, especially when parent process lineage deviates from user-initiated applications.

macos:unifiedlog log stream --info --predicate 'eventMessage CONTAINS "exec"' → DC0032 Process Creation

Tunable: LaunchAgentName ScriptName TerminalAppUsage

AN1431 ESXi
Detects use of 'esxcli system' or direct interpreter commands (e.g., busybox shell) invoked from SSH or host terminal unexpectedly.

esxi:vobd shell session start → DC0064 Command Execution

Tunable: ShellEnabledFlag SSHContext

AN1432 Network Devices
Identifies CLI interpreter access (e.g., Cisco IOS, Juniper JUNOS) via enable mode or scripting-capable sessions used by uncommon accounts or from unknown IPs.

networkdevice:cli shell command → DC0064 Command Execution
networkdevice:syslog authentication & authorization → DC0002 User Account Authentication

Tunable: UserRole DeviceType

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1059` (95)

Suspicious Browser Child Process - MacOS mediumtest

Author: Sohan G (D4rkCiph3r) · 2023-04-05 · logsource: product=macos category=process_creation · 0250638a-2b28-4541-86fc-ea4c558fa0c6

Detects suspicious child processes spawned from browsers. This could be a result of a potential web browser exploitation.

Add New Download Source To Winget mediumtest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-04-17 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 05ebafc8-7aa2-4bcd-a269-2aec93f9e842

Detects usage of winget to add new additional download sources

Techniques: T1059

Potential Arbitrary Command Execution Via FTP.EXE mediumtest

Author: Victor Sergeev, oscd.community · 2020-10-09 (modified 2024-04-23) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 06b401f4-107c-4ff9-947f-9ec1e7649f1e

Detects execution of "ftp.exe" script with the "-s" or "/s" flag and any child processes ran by "ftp.exe".

Techniques: T1059 T1202

Use of Pcalua For Execution mediumtest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), E.M. Anhaus (originally from Atomic Blue Detections, Endgame), oscd.community · 2022-06-14 (modified 2023-01-04) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 0955e4e1-c281-4fb9-9ee1-5ee7b4b754d2

Detects execition of commands and binaries from the context of The program compatibility assistant (Pcalua.exe). This can be used as a LOLBIN in order to bypass application whitelisting.

Techniques: T1059

Shai-Hulud Malware Indicators - Linux highexperimental

Author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems) · 2025-11-25 · logsource: product=linux category=process_creation · 11bb9b26-4179-4a06-afcb-1ec31fce1627

Detects potential Shai-Hulud malware indicators based on specific command line arguments associated with its execution.

Techniques: T1059

Script Interpreter Execution From Suspicious Folder hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2022-02-08 (modified 2026-02-17) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 1228c958-e64e-4e71-92ad-7d429f4138ba

Detects suspicious script execution from suspicious directories or folders accessible by environment variables that may indicate malware activity. Script interpreters (cscript, wscript, mshta, powershell) executing from folders like Temp, Public, or user profile directories may suggest attempts to evade detection or execute malicious scripts.

Techniques: T1059

DNS Request From Windows Script Host lowtest

Author: Josh Nickels, Marius Rothenbücher · 2024-09-06 · logsource: product=windows category=dns_query · 12310575-e8b1-475c-a976-57ed540b349c

Detects unusual domain resolutions originating from CScript/WScript that can identify malicious javascript files executing in an environment, often as a result from a phishing or watering hole attack.

Techniques: T1059

Windows Shell/Scripting Application File Write to Suspicious Folder hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2021-11-20 (modified 2023-03-29) · logsource: product=windows category=file_event · 1277f594-a7d1-4f28-a2d3-73af5cbeab43

Detects Windows shells and scripting applications that write files to suspicious folders

Techniques: T1059

Elevated System Shell Spawned From Uncommon Parent Location mediumtest

Author: frack113, Tim Shelton (update fp) · 2022-12-05 (modified 2025-03-06) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 178e615d-e666-498b-9630-9ed363038101

Detects when a shell program such as the Windows command prompt or PowerShell is launched with system privileges from a uncommon parent location.

Techniques: T1059

DarkGate - Autoit3.EXE File Creation By Uncommon Process mediumtest

Author: Micah Babinski · 2023-10-15 · logsource: product=windows category=file_event · 1a433e1d-03d2-47a6-8063-ece992cf4e73

Detects the usage of curl.exe, KeyScramblerLogon, or other non-standard/suspicious processes used to create Autoit3.exe. This activity has been associated with DarkGate malware, which uses Autoit3.exe to execute shellcode that performs process injection and connects to the DarkGate command-and-control server. Curl, KeyScramblerLogon, and these other processes consitute non-standard and suspicious ways to retrieve the Autoit3 executable.

Techniques: T1105 T1059

CVE-2023-22518 Exploitation Attempt - Suspicious Confluence Child Process (Windows) mediumtest

Author: Andreas Braathen (mnemonic.io) · 2023-11-14 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 1ddaa9a4-eb0b-4398-a9fe-7b018f9e23db

Detects exploitation attempt of CVE-2023-22518 (Confluence Data Center / Confluence Server), where an attacker can exploit vulnerable endpoints to e.g. create admin accounts and execute arbitrary commands.

Techniques: T1059 T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2023-22518

Ruby Inline Command Execution mediumtest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-01-02 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 20a5ffa1-3848-4584-b6f8-c7c7fd9f69c8

Detects execution of ruby using the "-e" flag. This is could be used as a way to launch a reverse shell or execute live ruby code.

Techniques: T1059

Payload Decoded and Decrypted via Built-in Utilities mediumtest

Author: Tim Rauch (rule), Elastic (idea) · 2022-10-17 · logsource: product=macos category=process_creation · 234dc5df-40b5-49d1-bf53-0d44ce778eca

Detects when a built-in utility is used to decode and decrypt a payload after a macOS disk image (DMG) is executed. Malware authors may attempt to evade detection and trick users into executing malicious code by encoding and encrypting their payload and placing it in a disk image file. This behavior is consistent with adware or malware families such as Bundlore and Shlayer.

Techniques: T1059 T1204 T1140

Suspicious Persistence Via VMwareToolBoxCmd.EXE VM State Change Script hightest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-06-14 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 236d8e89-ed95-4789-a982-36f4643738ba

Detects execution of the "VMwareToolBoxCmd.exe" with the "script" and "set" flag to setup a specific script that's located in a potentially suspicious location to run for a specific VM state

Techniques: T1059

Renamed PingCastle Binary Execution hightest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), X__Junior (Nextron Systems) · 2024-01-11 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 2433a154-bb3d-42e4-86c3-a26bdac91c45

Detects the execution of a renamed "PingCastle" binary based on the PE metadata fields.

Techniques: T1059 T1202

All 95 rules on the technique page →

T1090 Proxy primary impact

DET0445 Detection of Proxy Infrastructure Setup and Traffic Bridging
AN1229 Windows
Suspicious process spawning (e.g., rundll32, svchost, powershell, or netsh) followed by network connection creation to internal hosts or uncommon external endpoints on high or non-standard ports.

WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3, 22 → DC0082 Network Connection Creation
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1 → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Connections Outbound Connection → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow

Tunable: ParentProcessName DestinationPort TimeWindow

AN1230 Linux
User-space tools (e.g., socat, ncat, iptables, ssh) used in non-standard ways to establish reverse shells, port-forwarding, or inter-host connections. Often chained with uncommon outbound destinations or SSH tunnels.

auditd:SYSCALL execve → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Flow Connection Tracking → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow

Tunable: CommandLinePattern OutboundPortRange ProcessUserContext

AN1231 macOS
AppleScript, LaunchAgents, or remote login services (ssh, networksetup) establishing proxy tunnels or dynamic port forwards to external IPs or alternate local hosts.

macos:unifiedlog None → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Firewall pf firewall logs → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow
NSM:Flow connection attempts → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: TargetDomain AppleScriptUsage LaunchAgentSource

AN1232 ESXi
Direct use of nc, socat, or reverse tunnel scripts initiated by abnormal user contexts or unauthorized VIBs initiating connections from hypervisor to external systems.

esxi:shell None → DC0064 Command Execution
esxi:vmkernel None → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow
NSM:Flow conn.log → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: CLICommand DestinationIP UserContext

AN1233 Network Devices
Dynamic or static port forwarding rules added to route traffic through an internal host, or configuration changes to proxy firewall rules not aligned with baselined policy.

NSM:Firewall Policy Change / Rule Update → DC0051 Firewall Rule Modification
NSM:Flow Flow Creation (NetFlow/sFlow) → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow
networkdevice:cli Interface commands → DC0064 Command Execution

Tunable: RuleType ChangeUser FlowVolumeDelta

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1090` (22)

Communication To Ngrok Tunneling Service - Linux hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2022-11-03 · logsource: product=linux category=network_connection · 19bf6fdb-7721-4f3d-867f-53467f6a5db6

Detects an executable accessing an ngrok tunneling endpoint, which could be a sign of forbidden exfiltration of data exfiltration by malicious actors

Techniques: T1567 T1568.002 T1572 T1090 T1102

Communication To Ngrok Tunneling Service Initiated hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2022-11-03 (modified 2024-02-02) · logsource: product=windows category=network_connection · 1d08ac94-400d-4469-a82f-daee9a908849

Detects an executable initiating a network connection to "ngrok" tunneling domains. Attackers were seen using this "ngrok" in order to store their second stage payloads and malware. While communication with such domains can be legitimate, often times is a sign of either data exfiltration by malicious actors or additional download.

Techniques: T1567 T1568.002 T1572 T1090 T1102

New Port Forwarding Rule Added Via Netsh.EXE mediumtest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), omkar72, oscd.community, Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel · 2019-01-29 (modified 2023-09-01) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 322ed9ec-fcab-4f67-9a34-e7c6aef43614

Detects the execution of netsh commands that configure a new port forwarding (PortProxy) rule

Techniques: T1090

PUA - Fast Reverse Proxy (FRP) Execution hightest

Author: frack113, Florian Roth · 2022-09-02 (modified 2024-11-23) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 32410e29-5f94-4568-b6a3-d91a8adad863

Detects the use of Fast Reverse Proxy. frp is a fast reverse proxy to help you expose a local server behind a NAT or firewall to the Internet.

Techniques: T1090

Malicious IP Address Sign-In Suspicious hightest

Author: Mark Morowczynski '@markmorow', Gloria Lee, '@gleeiamglo' · 2023-09-07 · logsource: product=azure service=riskdetection · 36440e1c-5c22-467a-889b-593e66498472

Indicates sign-in from a malicious IP address known to be malicious at time of sign-in.

Techniques: T1090

Communication To LocaltoNet Tunneling Service Initiated hightest

Author: Andreas Braathen (mnemonic.io) · 2024-06-17 · logsource: product=windows category=network_connection · 3ab65069-d82a-4d44-a759-466661a082d1

Detects an executable initiating a network connection to "LocaltoNet" tunneling sub-domains. LocaltoNet is a reverse proxy that enables localhost services to be exposed to the Internet. Attackers have been seen to use this service for command-and-control activities to bypass MFA and perimeter controls.

Techniques: T1572 T1090 T1102

OpenCanary - HTTPPROXY Login Attempt hightest

Author: Security Onion Solutions · 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 5498fc09-adc6-4804-b9d9-5cca1f0b8760

Detects instances where an HTTPPROXY service on an OpenCanary node has had an attempt to proxy another page.

Techniques: T1090

Potentially Suspicious Usage Of Qemu mediumtest

Author: Muhammad Faisal (@faisalusuf), Hunter Juhan (@threatHNTR) · 2024-06-03 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 5fc297ae-25b6-488a-8f25-cc12ac29b744

Detects potentially suspicious execution of the Qemu utility in a Windows environment. Threat actors have leveraged this utility and this technique for achieving network access as reported by Kaspersky.

Techniques: T1090 T1572

Ngrok Usage with Remote Desktop Service hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2022-04-29 · logsource: product=windows service=terminalservices-localsessionmanager · 64d51a51-32a6-49f0-9f3d-17e34d640272

Detects cases in which ngrok, a reverse proxy tool, forwards events to the local RDP port, which could be a sign of malicious behaviour

Techniques: T1090

PUA - NPS Tunneling Tool Execution hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2022-10-08 (modified 2024-11-23) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 68d37776-61db-42f5-bf54-27e87072d17e

Detects the use of NPS, a port forwarding and intranet penetration proxy server

Techniques: T1090

Cloudflared Tunnel Connections Cleanup mediumtest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-05-17 (modified 2023-12-21) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 7050bba1-1aed-454e-8f73-3f46f09ce56a

Detects execution of the "cloudflared" tool with the tunnel "cleanup" flag in order to cleanup tunnel connections.

Techniques: T1102 T1090 T1572

Connection Proxy lowtest

Author: Ömer Günal · 2020-06-17 (modified 2022-10-05) · logsource: product=linux category=process_creation · 72f4ab3f-787d-495d-a55d-68c2ff46cf4c

Detects setting proxy configuration

Techniques: T1090

RDP Port Forwarding Rule Added Via Netsh.EXE hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), oscd.community · 2019-01-29 (modified 2023-02-13) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 782d6f3e-4c5d-4b8c-92a3-1d05fed72e63

Detects the execution of netsh to configure a port forwarding of port 3389 (RDP) rule

Techniques: T1090

Sign-In From Malware Infected IP hightest

Author: Mark Morowczynski '@markmorow', Gloria Lee, '@gleeiamglo' · 2023-09-03 · logsource: product=azure service=riskdetection · 821b4dc3-1295-41e7-b157-39ab212dd6bd

Indicates sign-ins from IP addresses infected with malware that is known to actively communicate with a bot server.

Techniques: T1090

Cloudflared Tunnel Execution mediumtest

Author: Janantha Marasinghe, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-05-17 (modified 2023-12-20) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 9a019ffc-3580-4c9d-8d87-079f7e8d3fd4

Detects execution of the "cloudflared" tool to connect back to a tunnel. This was seen used by threat actors to maintain persistence and remote access to compromised networks.

Techniques: T1102 T1090 T1572

All 22 rules on the technique page →

T1133 External Remote Services exploitation technique

DET0354 Behavior-chain detection for T1133 External Remote Services across Windows, Linux, macOS, Containers
AN1004 Windows
Unusual or unauthorized external remote access attempts (e.g., RDP, VPN, Citrix) → repeated failed logins followed by a successful session from uncommon geolocations or outside business hours → subsequent internal lateral movement or data exfiltration activities.

WinEventLog:Security EventCode=4776, 4625 → DC0002 User Account Authentication
WinEventLog:Application VPN, Citrix, or remote access gateway logs showing external IP addresses → DC0038 Application Log Content
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3, 22 → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: BusinessHours KnownRemoteIPs FailedLogonThreshold GeoIPWhitelist TimeWindow

AN1005 Linux
Repeated SSH, VPN, or RDP gateway authentication attempts from external IPs → subsequent successful logon → remote shell or lateral movement activity (e.g., scp/sftp).

auditd:SYSCALL ssh logins or execve of remote commands → DC0088 Logon Session Metadata
NSM:Connections Failed password or accepted password for SSH users → DC0038 Application Log Content
NSM:Flow connection: Inbound connections to SSH or VPN ports → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: KnownSSHClients FailedLogonThreshold TimeWindow

AN1006 macOS
Unexpected inbound or outbound VNC/SSH/Screen Sharing connections from external sources → repeated failed logins followed by success → remote interactive sessions or abnormal file transfers.

macos:unifiedlog Remote login (ssh) or screen sharing authentication attempts → DC0088 Logon Session Metadata
macos:unifiedlog Inbound connections to VNC/SSH ports → DC0082 Network Connection Creation
PF:Logs External traffic to remote access services → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow

Tunable: KnownVNCServers TimeWindow

AN1007 Containers
Connections to exposed container services (e.g., Docker API, Kubernetes API server) from unauthorized external IPs → abnormal container creation/start → lateral activity within cluster nodes.

ApplicationLog:API Docker/Kubernetes API access from external sources → DC0038 Application Log Content
kubernetes:audit Unauthorized container creation or kubelet exec logs → DC0088 Logon Session Metadata
NSM:Flow External access to container ports (2375, 6443) → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: AllowedCIDRs TimeWindow

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1133` (20)

Remote Access Tool - Team Viewer Session Started On Linux Host lowtest

Author: Josh Nickels, Qi Nan · 2024-03-11 · logsource: product=linux category=process_creation · 1f6b8cd4-3e60-47cc-b282-5aa1cbc9182d

Detects the command line executed when TeamViewer starts a session started by a remote host. Once a connection has been started, an investigator can verify the connection details by viewing the "incoming_connections.txt" log file in the TeamViewer folder.

Techniques: T1133

External Remote RDP Logon from Public IP mediumtest

Author: Micah Babinski (@micahbabinski), Zach Mathis (@yamatosecurity) · 2023-01-19 (modified 2024-03-11) · logsource: product=windows service=security · 259a9cdf-c4dd-4fa2-b243-2269e5ab18a2

Detects successful logon from public IP address via RDP. This can indicate a publicly-exposed RDP port.

Techniques: T1133 T1078 T1110

FortiGate - New VPN SSL Web Portal Added mediumexperimental

Author: Marco Pedrinazzi (@pedrinazziM) (InTheCyber) · 2025-11-01 · logsource: product=fortigate service=event · 2bfb6216-0c31-4d20-8501-2629b29a3fa2

Detects the addition of a VPN SSL Web Portal on a Fortinet FortiGate Firewall. This behavior was observed in pair with modification of VPN SSL settings.

Techniques: T1133

OpenCanary - Telnet Login Attempt hightest

Author: Security Onion Solutions · 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 512cff7a-683a-43ad-afe0-dd398e872f36

Detects instances where a Telnet service on an OpenCanary node has had a login attempt.

Techniques: T1133 T1078

OpenCanary - RDP New Connection Attempt highexperimental

Author: Marco Pedrinazzi (@pedrinazziM) · 2026-01-06 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 598290cf-5932-45cd-9123-be1e05ab4f2e

Detects instances where an RDP service on an OpenCanary node has had a connection attempt.

Techniques: T1133 T1021.001

Potential Exploitation of GoAnywhere MFT Vulnerability highexperimental

Author: MSFT (idea), Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems) · 2025-10-07 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 6c76b3d0-afe4-4870-9443-ffe6773c5fef

Detects suspicious command execution by child processes of the GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer (MFT) application, which may indicate exploitation such as CVE-2025-10035. This behavior is indicative of post-exploitation activity related to CVE-2025-10035, as observed in campaigns by the threat actor Storm-1175.

Techniques: T1190 T1059.001 T1133

CVE tags: CVE-2025-10035

Remote Access Tool - ScreenConnect Installation Execution mediumtest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2021-02-11 (modified 2024-02-26) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 75bfe6e6-cd8e-429e-91d3-03921e1d7962

Detects ScreenConnect program starts that establish a remote access to a system.

Techniques: T1133

External Remote SMB Logon from Public IP hightest

Author: Micah Babinski (@micahbabinski), Zach Mathis (@yamatosecurity) · 2023-01-19 (modified 2024-03-11) · logsource: product=windows service=security · 78d5cab4-557e-454f-9fb9-a222bd0d5edc

Detects successful logon from public IP address via SMB. This can indicate a publicly-exposed SMB port.

Techniques: T1133 T1078 T1110

FortiGate - VPN SSL Settings Modified mediumexperimental

Author: Marco Pedrinazzi (@pedrinazziM) (InTheCyber) · 2025-11-01 · logsource: product=fortigate service=event · 8b5dacf2-aeb7-459d-b133-678eb696d410

Detects the modification of VPN SSL Settings (for example, the modification of authentication rules). This behavior was observed in pair with the addition of a VPN SSL Web Portal.

Techniques: T1133

Unusual File Deletion by Dns.exe hightest

Author: Tim Rauch (Nextron Systems), Elastic (idea) · 2022-09-27 (modified 2023-02-15) · logsource: product=windows category=file_delete · 8f0b1fb1-9bd4-4e74-8cdf-a8de4d2adfd0

Detects an unexpected file being deleted by dns.exe which my indicate activity related to remote code execution or other forms of exploitation as seen in CVE-2020-1350 (SigRed)

Techniques: T1133

Unusual File Modification by dns.exe hightest

Author: Tim Rauch (Nextron Systems), Elastic (idea) · 2022-09-27 · logsource: product=windows category=file_change · 9f383dc0-fdeb-4d56-acbc-9f9f4f8f20f3

Detects an unexpected file being modified by dns.exe which my indicate activity related to remote code execution or other forms of exploitation as seen in CVE-2020-1350 (SigRed)

Techniques: T1133

Unusual Child Process of dns.exe hightest

Author: Tim Rauch, Elastic (idea) · 2022-09-27 (modified 2023-02-05) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · a4e3d776-f12e-42c2-8510-9e6ed1f43ec3

Detects an unexpected process spawning from dns.exe which may indicate activity related to remote code execution or other forms of exploitation as seen in CVE-2020-1350 (SigRed)

Techniques: T1133

Remote Access Tool - Team Viewer Session Started On Windows Host lowtest

Author: Josh Nickels, Qi Nan · 2024-03-11 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · ab70c354-d9ac-4e11-bbb6-ec8e3b153357

Techniques: T1133

Running Chrome VPN Extensions via the Registry 2 VPN Extension hightest

Author: frack113 · 2021-12-28 (modified 2023-08-17) · logsource: product=windows category=registry_set · b64a026b-8deb-4c1d-92fd-98893209dff1

Running Chrome VPN Extensions via the Registry install 2 vpn extension

Techniques: T1133

OpenCanary - SSH New Connection Attempt hightest

Author: Security Onion Solutions · 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · cd55f721-5623-4663-bd9b-5229cab5237d

Detects instances where an SSH service on an OpenCanary node has had a connection attempt.

Techniques: T1133 T1021 T1078

All 20 rules on the technique page →

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application exploitation technique

DET0080 Exploit Public-Facing Application – multi-signal correlation (request → error → post-exploit process/egress)
AN0219 Windows
Adversary sends crafted HTTP/S (or other service) input to an Internet-facing app (IIS/ASP.NET, API, device portal). Chain: (1) abnormal request patterns to public endpoint → (2) elevated 4xx/5xx or unusual methods/paths → (3) server process (w3wp.exe/other service) spawns shell/LOLbins or loads non-standard modules → (4) optional outbound callback from the host/container.

ApplicationLog:IIS IIS W3C logs in C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC* (spikes in 5xx, RCE/SQLi/path traversal/JNDI patterns) → DC0038 Application Log Content
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1 → DC0032 Process Creation
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=7 → DC0016 Module Load
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3, 22 → DC0082 Network Connection Creation

Tunable: PublicVIPs SuspiciousPatterns ErrorRateThreshold TimeWindow AllowedChildList

AN0220 Linux
Adversary exploits Apache/Nginx/app servers. Chain: (1) suspicious requests in access logs → (2) spike of 5xx or WAF blocks → (3) web server or interpreter (apache2/nginx/php-fpm/node/python) spawns /bin/sh, curl, wget, socat, or writes webshell → (4) outbound callback.

ApplicationLog:WebServer /var/log/httpd/access_log, /var/log/apache2/access.log, /var/log/nginx/access.log with exploit indicators and burst errors → DC0038 Application Log Content
auditd:SYSCALL execve → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Flow HTTP payloads with SQLi/LFI/JNDI/deserialization indicators → DC0085 Network Traffic Content

Tunable: WebProcList ChildToolList BurstThreshold TimeWindow

AN0221 macOS
Adversary targets macOS-hosted public services (e.g., nginx, node). Chain: suspicious inbound request → service crash/5xx → service spawns shell or writes file → new outbound connection.

macos:unifiedlog App/web server logs ingested via unified logging or filebeat (nginx/apache/node). → DC0038 Application Log Content
macos:unifiedlog exec events where web process starts a shell/tooling → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Flow outbound egress from web host after suspicious request → DC0085 Network Traffic Content

Tunable: ServiceList TimeWindow

AN0222 Containers
Adversary exploits containerized app via ingress or service. Chain: (1) suspicious request in ingress/app logs → (2) container process spawns a shell/exec/sidecar (kubectl exec/docker exec) → (3) egress to Internet or metadata service (169.254.169.254).

ApplicationLog:Ingress Kubernetes NGINX/Envoy ingress controller logs with anomalous payloads and 5xx spikes → DC0038 Application Log Content
docker:events Docker/Kubernetes audit of exec/attach (kubectl exec) or unexpected child processes inside container → DC0032 Process Creation
NSM:Flow Requests towards cloud metadata or command & control from pod IPs → DC0085 Network Traffic Content

Tunable: IngressNamespaces MetadataEndpoints TimeWindow

AN0223 IaaS
Adversary targets cloud-hosted public endpoints. Chain: (1) ALB/ELB/Cloud LB logs show exploit-like inputs or error spikes → (2) workload spawns shell or reaches metadata API → (3) egress to new external hosts.

ALB:HTTPLogs AWS ALB/ELB/GCP/Azure Application Gateway HTTP logs with unusual methods, long URIs, serialized payloads, 4xx/5xx bursts → DC0085 Network Traffic Content
AWS:VPCFlowLogs VPC/NSG flow logs for pod/instance egress to Internet or metadata → DC0078 Network Traffic Flow

Tunable: LBProjects ErrorBurst

AN0224 ESXi
Adversary exploits exposed OpenSLP on ESXi or vCenter public endpoints. Chain: inbound request pattern to mgmt service → hostd/vpxd error/crash/restart → unexpected process behavior or datastore access → outbound callback.

esxi:hostd /var/log/hostd.log anomalies (faults, crashes, restarts) around inbound connections → DC0038 Application Log Content
NSM:Flow Connections to TCP 427 (SLP) or vCenter web services from untrusted sources → DC0085 Network Traffic Content

Tunable: MgmtCIDR TimeWindow

AN0225 Network Devices
Adversary exploits public admin services on routers/firewalls/switches. Chain: anomalous HTTP/SNMP/SmartInstall inputs → device syslog errors/restarts → config changes/CLI spawn → egress to attacker C2.

networkdevice:controlplane Syslog from edge devices with HTTP 500s on mgmt portal, SmartInstall events, unexpected CLI commands → DC0038 Application Log Content
NSM:Flow NetFlow/sFlow for odd egress to Internet from mgmt plane → DC0085 Network Traffic Content

Tunable: MgmtPorts TrustedAdmins

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1190` (149)

Potential CVE-2023-25717 Exploitation Attempt hightest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2023-05-30 · logsource: category=webserver · 043c1609-0e32-4462-a6f2-5a0c2da3fafe

Detects a potential exploitation attempt of CVE-2023-25717 a Remote Code Execution via an unauthenticated HTTP GET Request, in Ruckus Wireless Admin

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2023-25717

Potential CVE-2021-27905 Exploitation Attempt mediumtest

Author: @gott_cyber · 2022-12-11 (modified 2023-03-24) · logsource: category=webserver · 0bbcd74b-0596-41a4-94a0-4e88a76ffdb3

Detects exploitation attempt of the CVE-2021-27905 which affects all Apache Solr versions prior to and including 8.8.1.

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2021-27905

Citrix ADS Exploitation CVE-2020-8193 CVE-2020-8195 criticaltest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2020-07-10 (modified 2023-01-02) · logsource: category=webserver · 0d0d9a8a-a49e-4e27-b061-7ce4b936cfb7

Detects exploitation attempt against Citrix Netscaler, Application Delivery Controller (ADS) and Citrix Gateway exploiting vulnerabilities reported as CVE-2020-8193 and CVE-2020-8195

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2020-8193CVE-2020-8195

Ruby on Rails Framework Exceptions mediumstable

Author: Thomas Patzke · 2017-08-06 (modified 2020-09-01) · logsource: product=ruby_on_rails category=application · 0d2c3d4c-4b48-4ac3-8f23-ea845746bb1a

Detects suspicious Ruby on Rails exceptions that could indicate exploitation attempts

Techniques: T1190

Potential CVE-2023-23752 Exploitation Attempt hightest

Author: Bhabesh Raj · 2023-02-23 · logsource: category=webserver · 0e1ebc5a-15d0-4bf6-8199-b2535397433a

Detects the potential exploitation attempt of CVE-2023-23752 an Improper access check, in web service endpoints in Joomla

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2023-23752

Potential Exploitation of CrushFTP RCE Vulnerability (CVE-2025-54309) highexperimental

Author: Nisarg Suthar · 2025-08-01 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 0fdc7c7f-c690-4217-9ae3-31f5156eed72

Detects suspicious child processes created by CrushFTP. It could be an indication of exploitation of a RCE vulnerability such as CVE-2025-54309.

Techniques: T1059.001 T1059.003 T1068 T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2025-54309

Terminal Service Process Spawn hightest

Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) · 2019-05-22 (modified 2023-01-25) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 1012f107-b8f1-4271-af30-5aed2de89b39

Detects a process spawned by the terminal service server process (this could be an indicator for an exploitation of CVE-2019-0708)

Techniques: T1190 T1210

RDS Database Security Group Modification mediumtest

Author: jamesc-grafana · 2024-07-11 · logsource: product=aws service=cloudtrail · 14f3f1c8-02d5-43a2-a191-91ffb52d3015

Detects changes to the security group entries for RDS databases. This can indicate that a misconfiguration has occurred which potentially exposes the database to the public internet, a wider audience within the VPC or that removal of valid rules has occurred which could impact the availability of the database to legitimate services and users.

Techniques: T1190

Cisco ASA Exploitation Activity - Proxy highexperimental

Author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems) · 2025-11-20 · logsource: category=proxy · 15697955-6a29-47ca-92e9-0e05efae3260

Detects suspicious requests to Cisco ASA WebVpn via proxy logs associated with CVE-2025-20333 and CVE-2025-20362 exploitation.

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2025-20333CVE-2025-20362

TerraMaster TOS CVE-2020-28188 hightest

Author: Bhabesh Raj · 2021-01-25 (modified 2023-01-02) · logsource: category=webserver · 15c312b9-00d0-4feb-8870-7d940a4bdc5e

Detects the exploitation of the TerraMaster TOS vulnerability described in CVE-2020-28188

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2020-28188

Potential Server Side Template Injection In Velocity hightest

Author: Moti Harmats · 2023-02-11 · logsource: product=velocity category=application · 16c86189-b556-4ee8-b4c7-7e350a195a4f

Detects exceptions in velocity template renderer, this most likely happens due to dynamic rendering of user input and may lead to RCE.

Techniques: T1190

CVE-2021-21972 VSphere Exploitation hightest

Author: Bhabesh Raj · 2021-02-24 (modified 2023-01-02) · logsource: category=webserver · 179ed852-0f9b-4009-93a7-68475910fd86

Detects the exploitation of VSphere Remote Code Execution vulnerability as described in CVE-2021-21972

Techniques: T1190

CVE tags: CVE-2021-21972

Potential OWASSRF Exploitation Attempt - Webserver hightest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · 2022-12-22 (modified 2023-01-02) · logsource: category=webserver · 181f49fa-0b21-4665-a98c-a57025ebb8c7

Detects exploitation attempt of the OWASSRF variant targeting exchange servers It uses the OWA endpoint to access the powershell backend endpoint

Techniques: T1190

Suspicious User-Agents Related To Recon Tools mediumtest

Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Tim Shelton · 2022-07-19 (modified 2026-06-11) · logsource: category=webserver · 19aa4f58-94ca-45ff-bc34-92e533c0994a

Detects known suspicious (default) user-agents related to scanning/recon tools

Techniques: T1190

Python SQL Exceptions mediumstable

Author: Thomas Patzke · 2017-08-12 (modified 2020-09-01) · logsource: product=python category=application · 19aefed0-ffd4-47dc-a7fc-f8b1425e84f9

Generic rule for SQL exceptions in Python according to PEP 249

Techniques: T1190

All 149 rules on the technique page →

T1485 Data Destruction secondary impact

DET0146 Detection of Data Destruction Across Platforms via Mass Overwrite and Deletion Patterns
AN0411 Windows
Adversary spawns command-line tools (e.g., del, cipher /w, SDelete) or scripts to recursively delete or overwrite user/system files. This may be correlated with abnormal file IO activity, registry writes, or tampering in critical system directories.

WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1 → DC0032 Process Creation
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=11 → DC0039 File Creation
WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=23 → DC0040 File Deletion

Tunable: TargetFilename ProcessCommandLine VolumeThreshold TimeWindow

AN0412 Linux
Massive recursive deletions or overwrites via rm -rf, shred, dd, or wiper binaries. May include unlink syscalls, deletion of known config/data paths, or sequential overwrite patterns.

auditd:SYSCALL unlink, unlinkat, openat, write → DC0040 File Deletion
auditd:SYSCALL execve → DC0032 Process Creation

Tunable: ExecutablePath DeletedPathPattern SyscallBurstRate

AN0413 macOS
Destruction via rm -rf, overwrite with dd or srm, often executed by script in /tmp or /private/tmp, may also involve file overwrite to political or decoy image data.

macos:unifiedlog exec rm -rf|dd if=/dev|srm|file unlink → DC0040 File Deletion
macos:unifiedlog process.*exit.*code → DC0033 Process Termination

Tunable: CommandPattern EntropyChangeRate

AN0414 IaaS
Adversary deletes critical infrastructure: EC2 instances, S3 buckets, snapshots, or volumes using elevated IAM credentials. Frequently includes batch API calls with Delete* or TerminateInstances.

AWS:CloudTrail DeleteBucket, DeleteDBCluster, DeleteSnapshot, TerminateInstances → DC0022 Cloud Storage Deletion

Tunable: OperationType UserAgent RegionScope

AN0415 ESXi
Adversary destroys virtual disks (VMDK), images, or VMs by invoking vim-cmd, deleting datastore contents, or purging snapshots.

esxi:vmkernel file delete|datastore purge → DC0098 Volume Deletion

Tunable: DatastorePath InitiatingUser

AN0416 Containers
Container process executes destructive file operations inside volume mounts or host paths. Includes rm -rf /mnt/volumes/, container breakout followed by host deletion attempts.

auditd:SYSCALL unlink, unlinkat, rmdir → DC0040 File Deletion
docker:events container exec rm|container stop --force → DC0064 Command Execution

Tunable: MountPoint ContainerImage

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1485` (20)

MSSQL Destructive Query mediumexperimental

Author: Daniel Degasperi '@d4ns4n_' · 2025-06-04 · logsource: product=windows service=application · 00321fee-ca72-4cce-b011-5415af3b9960

Detects the invocation of MS SQL transactions that are destructive towards table or database data, such as "DROP TABLE" or "DROP DATABASE".

Techniques: T1485

Azure Kubernetes Network Policy Change mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 08d6ac24-c927-4469-b3b7-2e422d6e3c43

Identifies when a Azure Kubernetes network policy is modified or deleted.

Techniques: T1485 T1496 T1489

Azure Kubernetes Service Account Modified or Deleted mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 12d027c3-b48c-4d9d-8bb6-a732200034b2

Identifies when a service account is modified or deleted.

Techniques: T1531 T1485 T1496 T1489

Azure Kubernetes RoleBinding/ClusterRoleBinding Modified and Deleted mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 25cb259b-bbdc-4b87-98b7-90d7c72f8743

Detects the creation or patching of potential malicious RoleBinding/ClusterRoleBinding.

Techniques: T1485 T1496 T1489

DD File Overwrite lowtest

Author: Roberto Rodriguez (Cyb3rWard0g), OTR (Open Threat Research), MSTIC · 2021-10-15 (modified 2022-07-07) · logsource: product=linux category=process_creation · 2953194b-e33c-4859-b9e8-05948c167447

Detects potential overwriting and deletion of a file using DD.

Techniques: T1485

AWS EKS Cluster Created or Deleted lowtest

Author: Austin Songer · 2021-08-16 (modified 2022-10-09) · logsource: product=aws service=cloudtrail · 33d50d03-20ec-4b74-a74e-1e65a38af1c0

Identifies when an EKS cluster is created or deleted.

Techniques: T1485

Overwriting the File with Dev Zero or Null lowstable

Author: Jakob Weinzettl, oscd.community · 2019-10-23 · logsource: product=linux service=auditd · 37222991-11e9-4b6d-8bdf-60fbe48f753e

Detects overwriting (effectively wiping/deleting) of a file.

Techniques: T1485

Potential Secure Deletion with SDelete mediumtest

Author: Thomas Patzke · 2017-06-14 (modified 2024-12-13) · logsource: product=windows service=security · 39a80702-d7ca-4a83-b776-525b1f86a36d

Detects files that have extensions commonly seen while SDelete is used to wipe files.

Techniques: T1070.004 T1027.005 T1485 T1553.002

Azure Device or Configuration Modified or Deleted mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-09-03 (modified 2022-10-09) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 46530378-f9db-4af9-a9e5-889c177d3881

Identifies when a device or device configuration in azure is modified or deleted.

Techniques: T1485 T1565.001

Deleted Data Overwritten Via Cipher.EXE mediumtest

Author: frack113 · 2021-12-26 (modified 2023-02-21) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 4b046706-5789-4673-b111-66f25fe99534

Detects usage of the "cipher" built-in utility in order to overwrite deleted data from disk. Adversaries may destroy data and files on specific systems or in large numbers on a network to interrupt availability to systems, services, and network resources. Data destruction is likely to render stored data irrecoverable by forensic techniques through overwriting files or data on local and remote drives

Techniques: T1485

AWS EFS Fileshare Mount Modified or Deleted mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-15 (modified 2022-10-09) · logsource: product=aws service=cloudtrail · 6a7ba45c-63d8-473e-9736-2eaabff79964

Detects when a EFS Fileshare Mount is modified or deleted. An adversary breaking any file system using the mount target that is being deleted, which might disrupt instances or applications using those mounts.

Techniques: T1485

Microsoft 365 - Unusual Volume of File Deletion mediumtest

Author: austinsonger · 2021-08-19 (modified 2022-10-09) · logsource: product=m365 service=threat_management · 78a34b67-3c39-4886-8fb4-61c46dc18ecd

Detects when a Microsoft Cloud App Security reported a user has deleted a unusual a large volume of files.

Techniques: T1485

Azure Kubernetes Secret or Config Object Access mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 7ee0b4aa-d8d4-4088-b661-20efdf41a04c

Identifies when a Kubernetes account access a sensitive objects such as configmaps or secrets.

Techniques: T1485 T1496 T1489

Azure Kubernetes Sensitive Role Access mediumtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 818fee0c-e0ec-4e45-824e-83e4817b0887

Identifies when ClusterRoles/Roles are being modified or deleted.

Techniques: T1485 T1496 T1489

Azure Container Registry Created or Deleted lowtest

Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger · 2021-08-07 (modified 2022-08-23) · logsource: product=azure service=activitylogs · 93e0ef48-37c8-49ed-a02c-038aab23628e

Detects when a Container Registry is created or deleted.

Techniques: T1485 T1496 T1489

All 20 rules on the technique page →

CVE-2021-22986 Mapped Sigma

ATT&CK techniques · CTID Mappings Explorer, ATT&CK 16.1, KEV snapshot 2025-07-28

Detection chain · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2 detection strategies, analytics, log sources

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter primary impact

Sigma rules tagged attack.t1059 (95)

T1090 Proxy primary impact

Sigma rules tagged attack.t1090 (22)

T1133 External Remote Services exploitation technique

Sigma rules tagged attack.t1133 (20)

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application exploitation technique

Sigma rules tagged attack.t1190 (149)

T1485 Data Destruction secondary impact

Sigma rules tagged attack.t1485 (20)

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1059` (95)

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1090` (22)

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1133` (20)

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1190` (149)

Sigma rules tagged `attack.t1485` (20)