Remote Management and Monitoring tool - OptiTune - Network Connection

Hunt Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that an adversary is using OptiTune, a Remote Management and Monitoring tool, to establish a covert network connection for command and control or persistence. SOC teams should proactively hunt for this behavior in Azure Sentinel to detect potential adversary exploitation of legitimate RMM tools.

KQL Query

let Time_start = now(-5d);
let Time_end = now();
//
DeviceNetworkEvents
| where Timestamp between (Time_start..Time_end)
| where RemoteUrl has_any (
        'optitune.us',
        'opti-tune.com'
    )
    and InitiatingProcessVersionInfoCompanyName has 'Bravura Software LLC'
| summarize FirstSeen=min(Timestamp), LastSeen=max(Timestamp), 
    Report=make_set(ReportId), Count=count() by DeviceId, DeviceName,
    RemoteUrl 

Analytic Rule Definition

id: e68f4b27-8001-4186-9c14-a1ef98c73dd2
name: Remote Management and Monitoring tool - OptiTune - Network Connection
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:
  - DeviceNetworkEvents
tactics: CommandAndControl
relevantTechniques: T1219
query: |
  let Time_start = now(-5d);
  let Time_end = now();
  //
  DeviceNetworkEvents
  | where Timestamp between (Time_start..Time_end)
  | where RemoteUrl has_any (
          'optitune.us',
          'opti-tune.com'
      )
      and InitiatingProcessVersionInfoCompanyName has 'Bravura Software LLC'
  | summarize FirstSeen=min(Timestamp), LastSeen=max(Timestamp), 
      Report=make_set(ReportId), Count=count() by DeviceId, DeviceName,
      RemoteUrl 

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_OptiTune_netconn.yaml)

False Positive Guidance

• Scenario: Scheduled System Maintenance via OptiTune
  Description: A system administrator schedules a routine maintenance task using OptiTune to update system drivers or perform disk cleanup.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.name != "OptiTune.exe" OR process.args NOT LIKE '%maintenance%'

• Scenario: OptiTune Agent Communication with Central Server
  Description: The OptiTune agent is configured to communicate with the central OptiTune server over the network for status updates or configuration sync.
  Filter/Exclusion: destination_ip IN ('192.168.1.10', '10.0.0.5') OR source_ip IN ('192.168.1.20', '10.0.0.10')

• Scenario: OptiTune Job to Monitor Network Traffic
  Description: An IT admin uses OptiTune to monitor network traffic for performance analysis or troubleshooting purposes.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.name != "OptiTune.exe" OR process.args NOT LIKE '%network monitoring%'

• Scenario: OptiTune Integration with SIEM for Log Collection
  Description: The OptiTune tool is configured to send logs to a SIEM system for centralized log management and analysis.
  Filter/Exclusion: destination_ip IN ('10.10.10.10', '10.10.10.20') OR process.args NOT LIKE '%log collection%'

• Scenario: OptiTune Used for Patch Management
  Description: The OptiTune tool is used to deploy security patches to endpoints across the network as part of a regular patch management process.
  Filter/Exclusion: process.name != "OptiTune.exe" OR process.args NOT LIKE '%patch deployment%'