ThreatFox: SmartApeSG IOCs

Hunt Hypothesis

This hunt detects adversary activity by monitoring network and endpoint logs for specific indicators of compromise (IOCs) linked to the SmartApeSG threat actor. Proactively hunting for these IOCs in Azure Sentinel is critical because early identification of this high-severity campaign enables rapid containment before lateral movement or data exfiltration occurs within the environment.

IOC Summary

Malware Family: SmartApeSG Total IOCs: 3 IOC Types: url, domain

KQL: Domain Hunt

// Hunt for DNS queries to known malicious domains
// Source: ThreatFox - SmartApeSG
let malicious_domains = dynamic(["flintazimuth.top"]);
DnsEvents
| where Name has_any (malicious_domains)
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Name, IPAddresses, QueryType
| order by TimeGenerated desc

KQL: Url Hunt

// Hunt for access to known malicious URLs
// Source: ThreatFox - SmartApeSG
let malicious_urls = dynamic(["https://flintazimuth.top/private/login-dom", "https://flintazimuth.top/private/health-header.js"]);
UrlClickEvents
| where Url has_any (malicious_urls)
| project Timestamp, AccountUpn, Url, ActionType, IsClickedThrough
| order by Timestamp desc

Required Data Sources

References

• ThreatFox — SmartApeSG

False Positive Guidance

Here are 4 specific false positive scenarios and their corresponding filters/exclusions for the ThreatFox: SmartApeSG IOCs detection rule:

• Scenario: Scheduled Security Scans by Endpoint Protection Agents

  • Context: Enterprise endpoint protection suites (e.g., CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint) often perform scheduled network scans or threat intelligence updates that query external security feeds. If the SmartApeSG IOCs include specific IP addresses or domains used by these vendors’ update servers, a routine scan will trigger the rule.
  • Filter/Exclusion: Exclude traffic originating from known internal management subnets (e.g., 10.x.x.x where x is the security team VLAN) and filter out processes with names matching major EDR agents (FalconSensor.exe, MsMpEng.exe) when connecting to the specific SmartApeSG domain.

• Scenario: Automated Patch Management and Software Distribution

  • Context: IT administrators using tools like SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) or Ivanti Neurons often distribute software updates or scripts that require external connectivity. If a deployment package includes a dependency on the SmartApeSG repository for license validation or configuration downloads, this legitimate administrative task will generate hits.
  • Filter/Exclusion: Create an exclusion rule based on the specific executable path of the distribution service (e.g., C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\bin\admin\ccmsetup.exe) and whitelist the SmartApeSG IP range during defined maintenance windows (e.g., 02:00 – 06:00 UTC).

• Scenario: Third-Party Cloud Backup and Archiving Services

  • Context: Enterprise backup solutions such as Veeam Backup & Replication or Acronis Cyber Protect often utilize external APIs for metadata synchronization, reporting dashboards, or cloud tiering