Threat Hunting with Sysmon and Windows Event Logs

Course Title: Threat Hunting with Sysmon and Windows Event Logs

Executive Summary

This intensive two-week course equips security professionals with the skills to proactively hunt for threats within Windows environments using Sysmon and Windows Event Logs. Participants will learn to configure Sysmon for optimal data collection, analyze event logs for suspicious activity, and develop threat hunting hypotheses based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Through hands-on exercises, participants will gain experience in detecting malware, lateral movement, and other advanced persistent threats. The course covers techniques for aggregating and visualizing event data, as well as automating threat hunting workflows. By the end of the course, participants will be able to build and execute effective threat hunting strategies, improving their organization’s security posture and incident response capabilities.

Introduction

In today’s evolving threat landscape, reactive security measures are no longer sufficient. Organizations must adopt a proactive approach to identify and mitigate threats before they can cause significant damage. Threat hunting involves actively searching for malicious activity within an organization’s network, rather than relying solely on automated alerts. This course focuses on using Sysmon and Windows Event Logs, two powerful and readily available tools, to conduct effective threat hunts within Windows environments. Sysmon provides detailed system activity monitoring, while Windows Event Logs offer a wealth of information about system events. By learning to configure and analyze these data sources, security professionals can gain valuable insights into potential threats that might otherwise go unnoticed. This course provides a comprehensive overview of threat hunting methodologies, data analysis techniques, and automation strategies, empowering participants to proactively defend their organizations against advanced cyberattacks.

Course Outcomes

• Configure Sysmon for optimal data collection and threat hunting.
• Analyze Windows Event Logs for suspicious activity and indicators of compromise.
• Develop and execute threat hunting hypotheses based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
• Detect malware, lateral movement, and other advanced persistent threats using Sysmon and Event Logs.
• Aggregate and visualize event data to identify patterns and anomalies.
• Automate threat hunting workflows to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Improve the organization’s security posture and incident response capabilities through proactive threat hunting.

Training Methodologies

• Interactive lectures and discussions.
• Hands-on labs and practical exercises.
• Real-world case studies and threat hunting scenarios.
• Group exercises and collaborative problem-solving.
• Demonstrations of threat hunting tools and techniques.
• Individual mentoring and feedback.
• Access to a virtual lab environment for practice and experimentation.

Benefits to Participants

• Enhanced skills in threat hunting and incident response.
• Improved ability to detect and mitigate advanced threats.
• Increased knowledge of Sysmon and Windows Event Logs.
• Practical experience in analyzing event data and identifying suspicious activity.
• Ability to develop and execute effective threat hunting strategies.
• Improved career prospects in cybersecurity.
• A comprehensive understanding of the MITRE ATT&CK framework and its application to threat hunting.

Benefits to Sending Organization

• Improved security posture and reduced risk of cyberattacks.
• Enhanced incident response capabilities.
• Proactive identification and mitigation of threats.
• Increased visibility into system activity and potential security breaches.
• More efficient use of security resources.
• Reduced downtime and business disruption due to cyber incidents.
• A more resilient and secure IT infrastructure.

Target Participants

• Security Analysts
• Incident Responders
• System Administrators
• Security Engineers
• Network Engineers
• IT Professionals responsible for security
• SOC Analysts

Week 1: Sysmon Configuration and Event Log Analysis

Module 1: Introduction to Threat Hunting

1. Overview of threat hunting concepts and methodologies.
2. The importance of proactive security measures.
3. Understanding the threat landscape and common attack vectors.
4. The role of threat intelligence in threat hunting.
5. Developing a threat hunting strategy.
6. Introduction to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
7. Setting up a threat hunting environment.

Module 2: Sysmon Configuration and Deployment

1. Understanding Sysmon and its capabilities.
2. Configuring Sysmon for optimal data collection.
3. Sysmon event types and their significance.
4. Deploying Sysmon across the enterprise.
5. Managing Sysmon configurations.
6. Best practices for Sysmon deployment.
7. Troubleshooting Sysmon issues.

Module 3: Windows Event Logs: An Overview

1. Understanding Windows Event Logs and their structure.
2. Key event logs for security analysis.
3. Event log channels and their purpose.
4. Configuring event log settings.
5. Analyzing event logs using Event Viewer.
6. Filtering and searching event logs.
7. Archiving and managing event logs.

Module 4: Analyzing Suspicious Processes

1. Identifying suspicious processes using Sysmon and Event Logs.
2. Analyzing process creation events.
3. Detecting process injection and other malicious techniques.
4. Using process monitoring tools.
5. Understanding process parent-child relationships.
6. Analyzing command-line arguments.
7. Identifying process-based indicators of compromise.

Module 5: Network Connection Analysis

1. Analyzing network connections using Sysmon and Event Logs.
2. Identifying suspicious network activity.
3. Detecting command and control (C&C) communications.
4. Analyzing DNS queries.
5. Using network monitoring tools.
6. Understanding common network protocols.
7. Identifying network-based indicators of compromise.

Week 2: Advanced Threat Hunting Techniques and Automation

Module 6: Lateral Movement Detection

1. Understanding lateral movement techniques.
2. Detecting lateral movement using Sysmon and Event Logs.
3. Analyzing authentication events.
4. Identifying suspicious service creation.
5. Using credential theft detection tools.
6. Understanding the concept of golden tickets.
7. Detecting pass-the-hash attacks.

Module 7: Malware Detection

1. Detecting malware using Sysmon and Event Logs.
2. Analyzing file creation events.
3. Identifying suspicious file modifications.
4. Using anti-malware tools.
5. Understanding malware analysis techniques.
6. Analyzing registry changes.
7. Identifying malware-based indicators of compromise.

Module 8: Advanced Event Log Analysis Techniques

1. Using PowerShell for advanced event log analysis.
2. Creating custom event log queries.
3. Analyzing event logs using scripting.
4. Automating event log analysis tasks.
5. Using event log aggregation tools.
6. Understanding event log correlation techniques.
7. Building custom threat hunting dashboards.

Module 9: Automating Threat Hunting Workflows

1. Introduction to threat hunting automation.
2. Using scripting languages for automation.
3. Integrating threat intelligence feeds.
4. Creating automated alerts and notifications.
5. Using SIEM tools for threat hunting.
6. Building automated incident response playbooks.
7. Best practices for threat hunting automation.

Module 10: Threat Hunting Case Studies and Best Practices

1. Real-world threat hunting case studies.
2. Applying the MITRE ATT&CK framework to threat hunting.
3. Developing a threat hunting maturity model.
4. Building a threat hunting team.
5. Communicating threat hunting findings.
6. Documenting threat hunting procedures.
7. Best practices for continuous improvement in threat hunting.

Action Plan for Implementation

1. Conduct a thorough assessment of the current security posture.
2. Identify key areas for improvement in threat detection and response.
3. Develop a detailed threat hunting plan with clear objectives and timelines.
4. Implement Sysmon and configure Windows Event Logs for optimal data collection.
5. Train security personnel on threat hunting techniques and tools.
6. Establish a regular threat hunting schedule.
7. Continuously monitor and improve threat hunting processes.