Sunturai
Back to results
MediumSplunk security contentMichael Haag +1

Suspicious DLLHost no Command Line Arguments

The following analytic detects instances of DLLHost.exe executing without command line arguments. This behavior is unusual and often associated with malicious activities, such as those performed by Cobalt Strike. The…

Description

The following analytic detects instances of DLLHost.exe executing without command line arguments. This behavior is unusual and often associated with malicious activities, such as those performed by Cobalt Strike. The detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process execution logs. This activity is significant because DLLHost.exe typically requires arguments to function correctly, and its absence may indicate an attempt to evade detection. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized actions like credential dumping or file manipulation, posing a severe threat to the environment.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
LinuxmacOSWindows

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

Log source category
crowdstrike_processrollup2sysmon_eventid_1windows_event_log_security_4688

Known benign triggers

  • Limited false positives may be present in small environments. Tuning may be required based on parent process.

Detections can measure how the public catalogue is used — which detections people look for, and which pages bring them here. It sets a cookie that recognises this browser for 180 days. It is never linked to an account and never follows you to other sites. Privacy notice