Sofacy Bundestags APT is using batch scripts to execute malicious payloads and establish persistence within the network. SOC teams should proactively hunt for this behavior in Azure Sentinel to detect and mitigate advanced persistent threat activity early.
YARA Rule
rule Sofacy_Bundestag_Batch
{
meta:
description = "Sofacy Bundestags APT Batch Script"
author = "Florian Roth"
reference = "http://dokumente.linksfraktion.de/inhalt/report-orig.pdf"
date = "2015-06-19"
score = 70
strings:
$s1 = "for %%G in (.pdf, .xls, .xlsx, .doc, .docx) do (" ascii
$s2 = "cmd /c copy"
$s3 = "forfiles"
condition:
filesize < 10KB and all of them
}
This YARA rule can be deployed in the following contexts:
This rule contains 3 string patterns in its detection logic.
Scenario: Scheduled System Maintenance Task
Description: A legitimate scheduled task runs a batch script to perform system updates or maintenance.
Filter/Exclusion: process.parent_process_name:"Task Scheduler" or process.command_line:"schtasks.exe"
Scenario: Admin-Initiated Batch Script for Configuration Deployment
Description: A system administrator uses a batch script to deploy configuration changes across the network.
Filter/Exclusion: process.user:"Administrator" and process.command_line:"net use" OR "psexec"
Scenario: PowerShell Script Execution via Batch Wrapper
Description: A PowerShell script is executed via a batch file as part of a legitimate automation process.
Filter/Exclusion: process.original_file_name:"*.ps1" or process.parent_process_name:"PowerShell"
Scenario: Legacy Application Compatibility Testing
Description: A batch script is used to test compatibility of legacy applications with new system updates.
Filter/Exclusion: process.command_line:"compatibility.exe" OR "oldapp.exe"
Scenario: Automated Backup Job Execution
Description: A scheduled backup job runs a batch script to archive data to a remote server.
Filter/Exclusion: process.command_line:"robocopy.exe" OR "xcopy.exe" and process.user:"BackupService"