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Windows Devtunnels Execution

Detects the execution of Microsoft devtunnels.exe. Microsoft Devtunnels is a feature within Visual Studio that allows developers to expose their local development environment to the internet via secure, temporary…

Description

Detects the execution of Microsoft devtunnels.exe. Microsoft Devtunnels is a feature within Visual Studio that allows developers to expose their local development environment to the internet via secure, temporary tunnels, enabling external access for testing webhooks, APIs, and other services. While designed for legitimate development purposes, an attacker could exploit this feature to expose a compromised system or service to the internet, creating a covert communication channel that bypasses network security measures. By using Dev Tunnels, the attacker can establish a remote connection to the compromised environment, facilitate data exfiltration, or maintain command-and-control communications while avoiding detection by blending their activities with legitimate development traffic.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
ESXiLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesWindows

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

Known benign triggers

  • Some legitimate developers may use Microsoft Devtunnels for testing and debugging their applications. Filter alerts for approved development environments and users.

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