Azure WireServer HTTP Request from Unexpected User Agent
Identifies HTTP requests to Azure WireServer (168.63.129.16) for GoalState, certificates, versions, or HostGAPlugin vmSettings that do not use a known guest-agent user agent. These requests retrieve transport…
Description
Identifies HTTP requests to Azure WireServer (168.63.129.16) for GoalState, certificates, versions, or HostGAPlugin vmSettings that do not use a known guest-agent user agent. These requests retrieve transport certificates and extension protectedSettings, including embedded SAS URLs. Azure Linux Agent, Windows guest agent, and related platform UAs are excluded. Requests with no user agent are also excluded; that pattern is common for the Windows guest agent.
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersESXiIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
Known benign triggers
- Custom health checks that call HostGAPlugin /versions or /vmSettings with curl. Exclude the specific user agent or host group after validating the script.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/escalating-privileges-azure-kubernetes-services | 5 |
| cybercx.com.au/blog/azure-ssrf-metadata/ | 4 |
| learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/what-is-ip-address-168-63-129-16 | 2 |
| www.netspi.com/blog/technical-blog/cloud-pentesting/decrypting-vm-extension-settings-with-azure-wireserver/ | 4 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 359b5925-a625-4803-90d2-19e44a37d98e
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Network Packet CaptureDomain: CloudDomain: NetworkOS: LinuxOS: WindowsPlatform: AzurePlatform: LinuxPlatform: WindowsResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: Event Correlation (EQL)Tactic: Credential AccessTactic: DiscoveryUse Case: Threat Detection
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 2