Remote Management and Monitoring tool - Atera - Create Process

Hunt Hypothesis

Atera is being used by adversaries to create persistence and establish command and control channels through process creation. SOC teams should proactively hunt for this behavior in Azure Sentinel to detect potential RMM tool abuse and mitigate advanced persistent threats.

KQL Query

let Time_start = now(-5d);
let Time_end = now();
//
DeviceProcessEvents 
| where Timestamp between (Time_start..Time_end)
| where ProcessVersionInfoCompanyName has 'Atera Networks'
| summarize FirstSeen=min(Timestamp), LastSeen=max(Timestamp), 
    Report=make_set(ReportId), Count=count() by DeviceId, DeviceName

Analytic Rule Definition

id: 532c895a-75b9-4c9f-969c-30bb3cfb6ac7
name: Remote Management and Monitoring tool - Atera - Create Process
description: |
    Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) programs are IT to manage remote endpoints. Attackers have begun to abuse these programs to persist or provide C2 channels.
    https://github.com/jischell-msft/RemoteManagementMonitoringTools
requiredDataConnectors:
- connectorId: MicrosoftThreatProtection
  dataTypes:
  - DeviceProcessEvents
tactics: CommandAndControl
relevantTechniques: T1219
query: |
  let Time_start = now(-5d);
  let Time_end = now();
  //
  DeviceProcessEvents 
  | where Timestamp between (Time_start..Time_end)
  | where ProcessVersionInfoCompanyName has 'Atera Networks'
  | summarize FirstSeen=min(Timestamp), LastSeen=max(Timestamp), 
      Report=make_set(ReportId), Count=count() by DeviceId, DeviceName

Required Data Sources

MITRE ATT&CK Context

• Tactic: CommandAndControl
• Technique: T1219 — T1219

References

• [Source Query](https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/main/Hunting Queries/Microsoft 365 Defender/RemoteManagementMonitoring/rmm_Atera_createproc.yaml)

False Positive Guidance

• Scenario: Atera scheduled job creates a process for system maintenance
  Description: Atera may schedule periodic tasks to monitor or maintain system health, which can result in process creation that matches the rule’s criteria.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.parent_process_name == "AteraService" or process.name == "AteraScheduler"

• Scenario: IT admin manually creates a process for remote endpoint configuration
  Description: An IT administrator might use Atera to remotely configure a machine, which involves creating processes for setup or policy application.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.user == "IT_Administrator" or process.command_line contains "AteraConfig"

• Scenario: Atera agent installation creates a process during deployment
  Description: When deploying the Atera agent to a new endpoint, the installation process may create temporary processes that trigger the rule.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.name == "AteraAgentInstaller" or process.command_line contains "AteraInstall"

• Scenario: Atera integration with third-party tools spawns a process
  Description: Atera may integrate with other tools (e.g., SCCM, PowerShell) to perform tasks, which can result in process creation that matches the rule.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.parent_process_name == "AteraIntegration" or process.name contains "PowerShell"

• Scenario: Atera remote command execution for patching or updates
  Description: IT may use Atera to execute remote commands for patching or updating systems, which can create processes that match the rule.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.command_line contains "AteraPatch" or process.name == "AteraUpdateService"