Technique on mitre.org

T1218.007: Msiexec

Adversaries may abuse msiexec.exe to proxy execution of malicious payloads. Msiexec.exe is the command-line utility for the Windows Installer and is thus commonly associated with executing installation packages (.msi). The Msiexec.exe binary may also be digitally signed by Microsoft.

Adversaries may abuse msiexec.exe to launch local or network accessible MSI files. Msiexec.exe can also execute DLLs. Since it may be signed and native on Windows systems, msiexec.exe can be used to bypass application control solutions that do not account for its potential abuse. Msiexec.exe execution may also be elevated to SYSTEM privileges if the AlwaysInstallElevated policy is enabled.

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mitre_attck_defense_evasion: PT-CR-337: Msiexec_AWL_Bypass: An attempt to bypass application-start restrictions by using msiexec.exe (a built-in Microsoft Windows utility used to execute MSI files)

Detection

ID	DS0009	Data source and component	Process: Process Creation	Description	Use process monitoring to monitor the execution and arguments of msiexec.exe. Compare recent invocations of msiexec.exe with prior history of known good arguments and executed MSI files.

ID	DS0011	Data source and component	Module: Module Load	Description	Monitor DLL/PE file events, specifically creation of these binary files as well as the loading of DLLs into processes. Look for DLLs that are not recognized or not normally loaded into a process.

ID	DS0029	Data source and component	Network Traffic: Network Connection Creation	Description	Monitor for newly constructed network connections that are sent or received by untrusted hosts.

ID	DS0017	Data source and component	Command: Command Execution	Description	Command arguments used before and after the invocation of msiexec.exe may also be useful in determining the origin and purpose of the MSI files or DLLs being executed.

ID	Data source and component	Description
DS0009	Process: Process Creation	Use process monitoring to monitor the execution and arguments of msiexec.exe. Compare recent invocations of msiexec.exe with prior history of known good arguments and executed MSI files.
DS0011	Module: Module Load	Monitor DLL/PE file events, specifically creation of these binary files as well as the loading of DLLs into processes. Look for DLLs that are not recognized or not normally loaded into a process.
DS0029	Network Traffic: Network Connection Creation	Monitor for newly constructed network connections that are sent or received by untrusted hosts.
DS0017	Command: Command Execution	Command arguments used before and after the invocation of msiexec.exe may also be useful in determining the origin and purpose of the MSI files or DLLs being executed.

Mitigation

ID	M1042	Name	Disable or Remove Feature or Program	Description	Consider disabling the `AlwaysInstallElevated` policy to prevent elevated execution of Windows Installer packages.

ID	M1026	Name	Privileged Account Management	Description	Restrict execution of Msiexec.exe to privileged accounts or groups that need to use it to lessen the opportunities for malicious usage.

ID	Name	Description
M1042	Disable or Remove Feature or Program	Consider disabling the `AlwaysInstallElevated` policy to prevent elevated execution of Windows Installer packages.
M1026	Privileged Account Management	Restrict execution of Msiexec.exe to privileged accounts or groups that need to use it to lessen the opportunities for malicious usage.