Behavioral Detection Strategy for Network Service Discovery Across Platforms

ID: DET0376
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN1057, AN1058, AN1059, AN1060
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN1057

Detects processes performing network enumeration (e.g., port scans, service probing) by correlating process creation, socket connections, and sequential destination IP probing within a time window.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=1
Network Connection Creation (DC0082) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=3
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ScanRateThreshold Defines the number of unique destination IPs or ports accessed within a time window that may indicate a scan.
KnownScannerExeList List of binaries allowed to scan or used by IT (e.g., Nmap, Nessus).
TimeWindow Temporal bounds for correlating sequential connections (e.g., 60 seconds).

AN1058

Detects use of network scanning utilities or scripts performing rapid connections to multiple services or hosts using auditd and netflow/pcap telemetry.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) auditd:SYSCALL execve
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) NSM:Flow Outbound TCP SYN or UDP to multiple ports/hosts
Mutable Elements
Field Description
PortScanThreshold Defines number of ports targeted per host within a short period.
ToolPatternRegex Regex to match common scanner arguments (e.g., `nmap -sS`, `nc -zv`).
ExpectedScanSources Trusted IPs or systems performing routine discovery.

AN1059

Detects Bonjour-based mDNS enumeration or use of system tools (e.g., dns-sd, nmap) to find active services via multicast probing or targeted scans.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Network Traffic Content (DC0085) macos:unifiedlog dns-sd, mDNSResponder, socket activity
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:osquery process_events
Mutable Elements
Field Description
MDNSServiceQueryPatterns mDNS queries such as _ssh._tcp.local that may indicate service discovery.
UserContext Adjust alerting based on whether discovery activity originates from a background daemon vs. interactive session.
ScanToolList Expected tools that could trigger mDNS or TCP/UDP scans (e.g., dns-sd, nmap).

AN1060

Detects lateral discovery or container breakout attempts using netcat, curl, or custom binaries probing other services within the same namespace or VPC subnet.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Network Connection Creation (DC0082) ebpf:syscalls socket connect
Process Creation (DC0032) ebpf:syscalls execve
Network Traffic Flow (DC0078) containerd:runtime container-level outbound traffic events
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ExecutablePath Custom or renamed versions of tools may use different paths
TimeWindow Aggregation interval for identifying anomalous traffic
NetworkDestinationCount Tunable count of unique destinations to classify discovery