title: New Remote Desktop Connection Initiated Via Mstsc.EXE
id: 954f0af7-62dd-418f-b3df-a84bc2c7a774
status: test
description: |
    Detects the usage of "mstsc.exe" with the "/v" flag to initiate a connection to a remote server.
    Adversaries may use valid accounts to log into a computer using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The adversary may then perform actions as the logged-on user.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1021.001/T1021.001.md#t1021001---remote-desktop-protocol
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/mstsc
author: frack113
date: 2022-01-07
modified: 2024-06-04
tags:
    - attack.lateral-movement
    - attack.t1021.001
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\mstsc.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'mstsc.exe'
    selection_cli:
        CommandLine|contains|windash: ' /v:'
    filter_optional_wsl:
        # Example: mstsc.exe /v:XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX /hvsocketserviceid:XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX /silent /wslg /plugin:WSLDVC /wslgsharedmemorypath:WSL\XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX\wslg C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\WSL\wslg.rdp
        ParentImage: 'C:\Windows\System32\lxss\wslhost.exe'
        CommandLine|contains: 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\WSL\wslg.rdp'
    condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - WSL (Windows Sub System For Linux)
level: medium

title: Potential Remote Desktop Connection to Non-Domain Host
id: ce5678bb-b9aa-4fb5-be4b-e57f686256ad
status: test
description: Detects logons using NTLM to hosts that are potentially not part of the domain.
references:
    - n/a
author: James Pemberton
date: 2020-05-22
modified: 2021-11-27
tags:
    - attack.command-and-control
    - attack.t1219.002
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: ntlm
    definition: Requires events from Microsoft-Windows-NTLM/Operational
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 8001
        TargetName|startswith: 'TERMSRV'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Host connections to valid domains, exclude these.
    - Host connections not using host FQDN.
    - Host connections to external legitimate domains.
level: medium