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Azure VM Managed Run Command Created or Updated with Unusual Principal

Identifies the creation or update of a managed Azure Run Command resource ("MICROSOFT.COMPUTE/VIRTUALMACHINES/RUNCOMMANDS/WRITE" or the virtual machine scale set equivalent) by an identity that has not performed this…

Description

Identifies the creation or update of a managed Azure Run Command resource ("MICROSOFT.COMPUTE/VIRTUALMACHINES/RUNCOMMANDS/WRITE" or the virtual machine scale set equivalent) by an identity that has not performed this operation recently. Unlike the action-based Run Command ("runCommand/action"), the managed Run Command is a persistent resource on the VM whose creation or update executes the supplied script as System (Windows) or root (Linux). Because creating a managed run command both executes code and leaves a durable object, adversaries can use it as an alternative to the action invocation to evade detections that only watch "runCommand/action". Alerting on the first time a given principal performs this operation surfaces unusual or unauthorized use while suppressing routine automation that repeatedly manages the same run commands.

Detection logic

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Detection requirements

Platform
IaaS

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.

Log source category
event_index

Known benign triggers

  • Infrastructure-as-code, configuration management, and patching automation may create or update managed run commands. The first occurrence per principal will alert; baseline expected service principals, managed identities, and admin users and exclude them if the activity is verified as authorized.

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