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Description

This analytic focuses on identifying non-chrome processes that attempt to access the Chrome extensions file. This file contains crucial settings and information related to the browser's extensions installed on the computer. Adversaries and malware authors have been known to exploit this file to extract sensitive information from the Chrome browser on targeted hosts. Detecting such anomalous behavior provides valuable insights for analyzing suspicious processes beyond the commonly observed chrome.exe and explorer.exe executables. By monitoring for access to the Chrome extensions file by non-chrome processes, we can enhance our ability to detect potential threats and protect sensitive information stored within the browser.

  • Type: Anomaly

  • Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud

  • Last Updated: 2023-12-27
  • Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
  • ID: 2e65afe0-9a75-4487-bd87-ada9a9f1b9af

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

ID Technique Tactic
T1012 Query Registry Discovery
Kill Chain Phase
  • Exploitation
NIST
  • DE.AE
CIS20
  • CIS 10
CVE 


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`wineventlog_security` EventCode=4663 object_file_path="*\\AppData\\Local\\Google\\Chrome\\User Data\\Default\\Local Extension Settings\\*" AND NOT (process_path IN ("*:\\Windows\\explorer.exe", "*\\chrome.exe")) 
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by object_file_name object_file_path process_name process_path  process_id EventCode dest 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `windows_credentials_from_password_stores_chrome_extension_access_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

:information_source: windows_credentials_from_password_stores_chrome_extension_access_filter is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Required fields

List of fields required to use this analytic.

  • _time
  • object_file_name
  • object_file_path
  • process_name
  • process_path
  • process_id
  • EventCode
  • dest

How To Implement

To successfully implement this search, you must ingest Windows Security Event logs and track event code 4663. For 4663, enable "Audit Object Access" in Group Policy. Then check the two boxes listed for both "Success" and "Failure."

Known False Positives

Uninstall chrome browser extension application may access this file and folder path to removed chrome installation in the target host. Filter is needed.

Associated Analytic Story

RBA

Risk Score Impact Confidence Message
25.0 50 50 A non-chrome process $process_name$ accessing chrome browser extension folder files on $dest$

:information_source: The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

Reference

Test Dataset

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

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