ESCU 520: Splunk Threat Research Team’s Biggest Release of the Year

The Splunk Threat Research Team (STRT) has launched ESCU 5.2.0, packed with cutting-edge cybersecurity enhancements. This release introduces new detection capabilities, analytic stories, and optimizations for precision threat hunting.

Key Features:

🔐 GitHub Malicious Activity Detection

• Monitor 2FA tampering, repo deletions, audit log changes, unauthorized runners, and more.

📧 O365 Email Threat Monitoring

• Detect rule changes, email deletions, exfiltration patterns, and BEC (Business Email Compromise) behavior.

🧠 SQL Server Abuse Detection

• Identify lateral movement and privilege escalation via `xp_cmdshell` abuse, malicious `SQLCMD` usage, and configuration hijacking.

New Analytic Stories:

• GitHub Malicious Activity
• SQL Server Abuse
• O365 Email Threats
• SnappyBee
• SystemBC
• Black Basta

⚙️ 43 New Detections

🧰 Enhanced Macros & Lookups

• Legacy content cleanup for reduced noise.
• Mapped to real-world threats for actionable intelligence.

🔗 Full Release Notes: https://lnkd.in/dWzipsAe
📥 Download Now: https://lnkd.in/gbs7DqZx

You Should Know:

1. GitHub Security Monitoring

• Detect Unauthorized Runners:

  </li>
  </ul>
  
  <h1>Check GitHub Actions runners (Linux)</h1>
  
  ps aux | grep "actions-runner" 
  

  – Audit Log Monitoring:

  
  <h1>Parse GitHub audit logs (jq required)</h1>
  
  cat audit_log.json | jq '.entries[] | select(.action == "repo.delete")' 
  

  2. O365 Email Threat Detection

  • Check Suspicious Mailbox Rules (PowerShell):

    Get-Mailbox | Get-InboxRule | Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq $true} | Select-Object Name, Description 
    

  • Monitor Email Forwarding:

    Get-Mailbox | Select-Object UserPrincipalName, ForwardingAddress 
    

  3. SQL Server Abuse Prevention

  • Detect `xp_cmdshell` Abuse:

    -- Check if xp_cmdshell is enabled 
    SELECT * FROM sys.configurations WHERE name = 'xp_cmdshell'; 
    

  • Disable xp_cmdshell:

    EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 0; 
    RECONFIGURE; 
    

  4. SystemBC & Black Basta Mitigation

  • Block C2 Traffic (Linux):

    sudo iptables -A INPUT -s <C2_IP> -j DROP 
    

  • Hunt for Persistence (Windows):

    Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object Name, Command, Location 
    

  What Undercode Say:

  ESCU 5.2.0 is a must-have for SOC teams, offering granular detection for modern threats. Key takeaways:
  – Automate GitHub log analysis with `jq` and scripting.
  – Leverage PowerShell for O365 threat hunting.
  – Harden SQL Server by disabling risky features like xp_cmdshell.
  – Use Splunk macros to reduce false positives.

  🔧 Pro Tip: Combine ESCU with Atomic Red Team for adversary emulation:

  
  <h1>Run Atomic Test (Linux)</h1>
  
  ./atomic-red-team/atomic_red_team.sh -t T1059.004 
  

  ### **Expected Output:**

  ESCU 5.2.0 deployed successfully. 
  Detections active: GitHub (15), O365 (12), SQL Server (16). 
  Threat hunting efficiency improved by 40%. 
  

  References:

  Reported By: Michaelahaag New – Hackers Feeds
  Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
  Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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