Adversaries may be using known OSINT-derived signatures associated with Operation Clandestine Wolf to mask malicious activity within the environment. SOC teams should proactively hunt for this behavior to identify potential covert operations and mitigate advanced persistent threats leveraging publicly available intelligence.
YARA Rule
rule OpClandestineWolf
{
meta:
alert_severity = "HIGH"
log = "false"
author = "NDF"
weight = 10
alert = true
source = " https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/06/operation-clandestine-wolf-adobe-flash-zero-day.html"
version = 1
date = "2015-06-23"
description = "Operation Clandestine Wolf signature based on OSINT from 06.23.15"
hash0 = "1a4b710621ef2e69b1f7790ae9b7a288"
hash1 = "917c92e8662faf96fffb8ffe7b7c80fb"
hash2 = "975b458cb80395fa32c9dda759cb3f7b"
hash3 = "3ed34de8609cd274e49bbd795f21acc4"
hash4 = "b1a55ec420dd6d24ff9e762c7b753868"
hash5 = "afd753a42036000ad476dcd81b56b754"
hash6 = "fad20abf8aa4eda0802504d806280dd7"
hash7 = "ab621059de2d1c92c3e7514e4b51751a"
hash8 = "510b77a4b075f09202209f989582dbea"
hash9 = "d1b1abfcc2d547e1ea1a4bb82294b9a3"
hash10 = "4692337bf7584f6bda464b9a76d268c1"
hash11 = "7cae5757f3ba9fef0a22ca0d56188439"
hash12 = "1a7ba923c6aa39cc9cb289a17599fce0"
hash13 = "f86db1905b3f4447eb5728859f9057b5"
hash14 = "37c6d1d3054e554e13d40ea42458ebed"
hash15 = "3e7430a09a44c0d1000f76c3adc6f4fa"
hash16 = "98eb249e4ddc4897b8be6fe838051af7"
hash17 = "1b57a7fad852b1d686c72e96f7837b44"
hash18 = "ffb84b8561e49a8db60e0001f630831f"
hash19 = "98eb249e4ddc4897b8be6fe838051af7"
hash20 = "dfb4025352a80c2d81b84b37ef00bcd0"
hash21 = "4457e89f4aec692d8507378694e0a3ba"
hash22 = "48de562acb62b469480b8e29821f33b8"
hash23 = "7a7eed9f2d1807f55a9308e21d81cccd"
hash24 = "6817b29e9832d8fd85dcbe4af176efb6"
strings:
$s0 = "flash.Media.Sound()"
$s1 = "call Kernel32!VirtualAlloc(0x1f140000hash$=0x10000hash$=0x1000hash$=0x40)"
$s2 = "{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
$s3 = "NetStream"
condition:
all of them
}This YARA rule can be deployed in the following contexts:
This rule contains 4 string patterns in its detection logic.
Scenario: Scheduled System Maintenance Job
Description: A legitimate scheduled job runs a script that matches the signature of “Operation Clandestine Wolf” due to a naming convention or hardcoded string.
Filter/Exclusion: Exclude processes initiated by the system scheduler (e.g., schtasks.exe or at.exe) or filter by process name matching known maintenance scripts.
Scenario: Admin Performing OSINT Research
Description: A security analyst or admin is manually researching OSINT data related to “Operation Clandestine Wolf” as part of a threat intelligence exercise.
Filter/Exclusion: Exclude processes initiated by user accounts with elevated privileges (e.g., Administrator) or filter by user context (e.g., user == "security_analyst").
Scenario: Log Analysis Tool Parsing Logs
Description: A log analysis tool like ELK Stack or Splunk is parsing logs and triggering the rule due to a keyword match in log entries.
Filter/Exclusion: Exclude events from log analysis tools or filter by source IP or application name (e.g., source == "splunkd").
Scenario: Automated Patching Tool Using Known Exploit Names
Description: A patching tool like Microsoft Update or WSUS includes a known exploit name in its payload or log output, triggering the rule.
Filter/Exclusion: Exclude processes related to patching tools or filter by process name (e.g., msiexec.exe, wusa.exe).
Scenario: False Positive from Third-Party Software
Description: A third-party application (e.g., VMware Tools, Dell OpenManage, or Microsoft Endpoint Manager) includes the term “Operation Clandestine Wolf” in its documentation or logs.
*Filter/