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System Service Discovery

Adversaries may try to gather information about registered local system services. Adversaries may obtain information about services using tools as well as OS utility commands such as sc query, tasklist /svc, systemctl --type=service, and net start.

Adversaries may use the information from System Service Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not the adversary fully infects the target and/or attempts specific actions.

ID: T1007
Sub-techniques:  No sub-techniques
ⓘ
Tactic: Discovery
ⓘ
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS
Contributors: Harshal Tupsamudre, Qualys
Version: 1.5
Created: 31 May 2017
Last Modified: 03 April 2023
Version Permalink

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
G0018 admin@338

admin@338 actors used the following command following exploitation of a machine with LOWBALL malware to obtain information about services: net start >> %temp%\download[1]
G0006 APT1

APT1 used the commands net start and tasklist to get a listing of the services on the system.[2]
G0143 Aquatic Panda

Aquatic Panda has attempted to discover services for third party EDR products.[3]
S0638 Babuk

Babuk can enumerate all services running on a compromised host.[4]
S0127 BBSRAT

BBSRAT can query service configuration information.[5]
S0570 BitPaymer

BitPaymer can enumerate existing Windows services on the host that are configured to run as LocalSystem.[6]
S1070 Black Basta

Black Basta can check whether the service name FAX is present.[7]
G0060 BRONZE BUTLER

BRONZE BUTLER has used TROJ_GETVERSION to discover system services.[8]
S0572 Caterpillar WebShell

Caterpillar WebShell can obtain a list of the services from a system.[9]

G0114 Chimera

Chimera has used net start and net use for system service discovery.[10]
S0154 Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike can enumerate services on compromised hosts.[11]
S0244 Comnie

Comnie runs the command: net start >> %TEMP%\info.dat on a victim.[12]
S0625 Cuba

Cuba can query service status using QueryServiceStatusEx function.[13]
S1066 DarkTortilla

DarkTortilla can retrieve information about a compromised system's running services.[14]
S0024 Dyre

Dyre has the ability to identify running services on a compromised host.[15]
G1006 Earth Lusca

Earth Lusca has used Tasklist to obtain information from a compromised host.[16]
S0081 Elise

Elise executes net start after initial communication is made to the remote server.[17]
S0082 Emissary

Emissary has the capability to execute the command net start to interact with services.[18]
S0091 Epic

Epic uses the tasklist /svc command to list the services on the system.[19]
S0049 GeminiDuke

GeminiDuke collects information on programs and services on the victim that are configured to automatically run at startup.[20]
S0237 GravityRAT

GravityRAT has a feature to list the available services on the system.[21]
S0342 GreyEnergy

GreyEnergy enumerates all Windows services.[22]
S1027 Heyoka Backdoor

Heyoka Backdoor can check if it is running as a service on a compromised host.[23]
S0431 HotCroissant

HotCroissant has the ability to retrieve a list of services on the infected host.[24]
S0203 Hydraq

Hydraq creates a backdoor through which remote attackers can monitor services.[25][26]
S0398 HyperBro

HyperBro can list all services and their configurations.[27]
G0119 Indrik Spider

Indrik Spider has used the win32_service WMI class to retrieve a list of services from the system.[28]

S0260 InvisiMole

InvisiMole can obtain running services on the victim.[29]
S0015 Ixeshe

Ixeshe can list running services.[30]
S0201 JPIN

JPIN can list running services.[31]
S0283 jRAT

jRAT can list local services.[32]
G0004 Ke3chang

Ke3chang performs service discovery using net start commands.[33]
G0094 Kimsuky

Kimsuky has used an instrumentor script to gather the names of all services running on a victim's system.[34]
S0236 Kwampirs

Kwampirs collects a list of running services with the command tasklist /svc.[35]
S0582 LookBack

LookBack can enumerate services on the victim machine.[36]
S0039 Net

The net start command can be used in Net to find information about Windows services.[37]
G0049 OilRig

OilRig has used sc query on a victim to gather information about services.[38]
C0012 Operation CuckooBees

During Operation CuckooBees, the threat actors used the net start command as part of their initial reconnaissance.[39]
C0014 Operation Wocao

During Operation Wocao, threat actors used the tasklist command to search for one of its backdoors.[40]
G0033 Poseidon Group

After compromising a victim, Poseidon Group discovers all running services.[41]
S0378 PoshC2

PoshC2 can enumerate service and service permission information.[42]
S0629 RainyDay

RainyDay can create and register a service for execution.[43]
S0241 RATANKBA

RATANKBA uses tasklist /svc to display running tasks.[44]
S0496 REvil

REvil can enumerate active services.[45]
S0085 S-Type

S-Type runs the command net start on a victim.[46]
S1085 Sardonic

Sardonic has the ability to execute the net start command.[47]
S0692 SILENTTRINITY

SILENTTRINITY can search for modifiable services that could be used for privilege escalation.[48]
S0533 SLOTHFULMEDIA

SLOTHFULMEDIA has the capability to enumerate services.[49]
S0615 SombRAT

SombRAT can enumerate services on a victim machine.[50]
S0559 SUNBURST

SUNBURST collected a list of service names that were hashed using a FNV-1a + XOR algorithm to check against similarly-hashed hardcoded blocklists.[51]
S0018 Sykipot

Sykipot may use net start to display running services.[52]
S0242 SynAck

SynAck enumerates all running services.[53][54]
S0663 SysUpdate

SysUpdate can collect a list of services on a victim machine.[55]
S0057 Tasklist

Tasklist can be used to discover services running on a system.[56]
G0139 TeamTNT

TeamTNT has searched for services such as Alibaba Cloud Security's aliyun service and BMC Helix Cloud Security's bmc-agent service in order to disable them.[57]
S0266 TrickBot

TrickBot collects a list of install programs and services on the system’s machine.[58]
G0010 Turla

Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover running services and associated processes using the tasklist /svc command.[19]
S0386 Ursnif

Ursnif has gathered information about running services.[59]
S0180 Volgmer

Volgmer queries the system to identify existing services.[60]
G1017 Volt Typhoon

Volt Typhoon has used net start to list running services.[61]
S0219 WINERACK

WINERACK can enumerate services.[62]
S0086 ZLib

ZLib has the ability to discover and manipulate Windows services.[46]
S0412 ZxShell

ZxShell can check the services on the system.[63]

Mitigations

This type of attack technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on the abuse of system features.

Detection

ID Data Source Data Component Detects
DS0017 Command Command Execution

Monitor executed commands and arguments that could be taken to gather system information related to services. Remote access tools with built-in features may interact directly with the Windows API to gather information. Information may also be acquired through Windows system management tools such as Windows Management Instrumentation and PowerShell.
DS0009 Process OS API Execution

Monitor for API calls associated with gathering information about registered local system services, such as QueryServiceStatusEx. Other Windows API calls worth monitoring include EnumServicesStatusExA, which can be used to enumerate services in the service control manager database.

Note: Most EDR tools do not support direct monitoring of API calls due to the sheer volume of calls produced by an endpoint but may have alerts or events that are based on abstractions of OS API calls. Dynamic malware analysis tools (i.e., sandboxes) can be used to trace the execution, including OS API calls, for a single PE binary.
Process Creation

Monitor for newly executed processes with arguments that may try to get information about registered services. System and network discovery techniques normally occur throughout an operation as an adversary learns the environment. Data and events should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a chain of behavior that could lead to other activities, such as Lateral Movement, based on the information obtained.

Note: Event IDs are for Sysmon (Event ID 1 - process create) and Windows Security Log (Event ID 4688 - a new process has been created). For event id 4688, depending on Windows version, you might need to enable Administrative Templates\System\Audit Process Creation\Include command line in process creation events group policy to include command line in process creation events.

Analytic 1 - Suspicious Processes

((sourcetype="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode="4688") OR (sourcetype="WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational" EventCode="1") | WHERE ((CommandLine LIKE "%sc%" AND CommandLine LIKE "%query%") OR (CommandLine LIKE "%tasklist%" AND CommandLine LIKE "%/svc%") OR (CommandLine LIKE "%systemctl%" AND CommandLine LIKE "%--type=service%") OR (CommandLine LIKE "%net%" AND CommandLine LIKE "%start%"))

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