↳ GitHub sourceAnalytics ruleMedium
Potential Build Process Compromise - MDE
Description
'The query looks for source code files being modified immediately after a build process is started. The purpose of this is to look for malicious code injection during the build process. This query uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint telemetry.
More details: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-sentinel/monitoring-the-software-supply-chain-with-azure-sentinel/ba-p/2176463'
- Rule type
- Scheduled
- Version
- 1.1.0
- Declared status
- Available
- Query frequency
- 1d
- Query period
- 1d
- Trigger
- gt 0
Declared MITRE coverage
Declared sources
Metadata from the source file. No dependencies inferred from KQL.
Connectors
Data types
KQL query
Original query, unchanged.
// How far back to look for events from
let timeframe = 1d;
// How close together build events and file modifications should occur to alert (make this smaller to reduce FPs)
let time_window = 5m;
// Edit this to include build processes used
let build_processes = dynamic(["MSBuild.exe", "dotnet.exe", "VBCSCompiler.exe"]);
// Include any processes that you want to allow to edit files during/around the build process
let allow_list = dynamic([]);
DeviceProcessEvents
| where TimeGenerated > ago(timeframe)
// Look for build process starts
| where FileName has_any (build_processes)
| summarize by BuildParentProcess=InitiatingProcessFileName, BuildProcess=FileName, BuildAccount = AccountName, DeviceName, BuildCommand=ProcessCommandLine,
timekey= bin(TimeGenerated, time_window), BuildProcessTime=TimeGenerated
| join kind=inner(
DeviceFileEvents
| where TimeGenerated > ago(timeframe)
| where InitiatingProcessFileName !in (allow_list)
| where ActionType == "FileCreated" or ActionType == "FileModified"
// Look for code files, edit this to include file extensions used in build.
| where FileName endswith ".cs" or FileName endswith ".cpp"
| summarize by FileEditParentProcess=InitiatingProcessParentFileName, FileEditAccount = InitiatingProcessAccountName, FileEditDomain = InitiatingProcessAccountDomain, FileEditUpn = InitiatingProcessAccountUpn,
DeviceName, FileEdited=FileName, FileEditProcess=InitiatingProcessFileName, timekey= bin(TimeGenerated, time_window), FileEditTime=TimeGenerated)
// join where build processes and file modifications seen at same time on same host
on timekey, DeviceName
// Limit to only where the file edit happens after the build process starts
| where BuildProcessTime <= FileEditTime
| summarize make_set(FileEdited), make_set(FileEditProcess) by timekey, DeviceName, BuildParentProcess, BuildProcess, FileEditAccount, FileEditDomain, FileEditUpn
| extend HostName = tostring(split(DeviceName, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(DeviceName, '.'))
| extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(DeviceName, DomainIndex + 1), DeviceName)
Declared entities
Related content
Links established from declared identifiers and solution manifests.
Source provenance
GitHubDisplayed values come from files in Azure/Azure-Sentinel. They describe the published template, not your workspace configuration.
- Commit
9800e51↗- Source identifier
1bf6e165-5e32-420e-ab4f-0da8558a8be2
GSTEP / CATALOG TRACKING
Added to catalog : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC
Last change observed : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC