Threat Hunting Playbook for Reconnaissance Tactics

Title: Reconnaissance Threat Hunting Playbook

Objective: Identify potential reconnaissance activity on the network

Description: Reconnaissance is an important phase of an attack, where the attacker gathers information about the target system and network. This playbook aims to identify potential reconnaissance activity by analyzing Windows logs.

Assumptions: The organization has a centralized logging system in place that captures Windows logs.

Playbook Steps:

1. Gather and Review Windows Logs

• Identify the relevant log sources to be analyzed for reconnaissance activity (e.g., event logs, sysmon logs, etc.).
• Collect and review the logs for the past 30 days or more, depending on the organization’s retention policy.

2. Identify Potential Indicators of Reconnaissance Activity

• Look for unusual activity such as spikes in network traffic, failed login attempts, and unusual access patterns.
• Use the following Windows log sources and events to identify potential indicators of reconnaissance activity:
• a. Security Event Log: — Event ID 4624: Successful logon events — Event ID 4625: Failed logon events — Event ID 4634: Successful logoff events — Event ID 4647: User initiated logoff events
• b. Sysmon: — Event ID 1: Process creation events — Event ID 3: Network connection events — Event ID 7: Image load events — Event ID 8: CreateRemoteThread events

3. Analyze the Indicators of Reconnaissance Activity

• Review the logs for each indicator of reconnaissance activity.
• Identify any patterns or anomalies that could indicate potential reconnaissance activity.
• Use additional tools and techniques, such as network traffic analysis, to further investigate any suspicious activity.

4. Determine the Scope and Impact of the Activity

• Identify the scope and impact of the reconnaissance activity by analyzing the logs and any other available information.
• Determine whether the activity is a legitimate or malicious activity.
• Identify any affected systems, users, or data.

5. Remediate and Mitigate

• Take appropriate remediation and mitigation actions based on the scope and impact of the reconnaissance activity.
• Develop and implement a plan to prevent similar reconnaissance activity from occurring in the future.

6. Document and Report

• Document the findings, actions taken, and any recommendations for future improvements.
• Report the findings and recommendations to the appropriate stakeholders, such as the incident response team and management.

The Reconnaissance Threat Hunting playbook aims to identify potential reconnaissance activity on the network by analyzing Windows logs. By following this playbook, organizations can detect and respond to reconnaissance activity in a timely manner, preventing further malicious activity on the network.