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Potential Ransomware activity related to Cobalt Strike

Description

This query searches for alerts related to suspected ransomware and Cobalt Strike activity, a tool used in numerous ransomware campaigns. It looks for alerts that indicate potential ransomware activity, such as attempts to clear security event logs, delete backup files, and execute Cobalt Strike malware.
Rule type
Scheduled
Version
1.0.1
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.

// Look for sc.exe disabling services
AlertInfo 
// Attempts to clear security event logs. 
| where Title in("Event log was cleared", 
// List alerts flagging attempts to delete backup files. 
"File backups were deleted", 
// Potential Cobalt Strike activity - Note that other threat activity can also 
// trigger alerts for suspicious decoded content 
"Suspicious decoded content", 
// Cobalt Strike activity 
"\'Atosev\' malware was detected", 
"\'Ploty\' malware was detected", 
"\'Bynoco\' malware was detected",
"\'Cobaltstrike\' malware was detected",
"Echo command over pipe on localhost",
"Known attack framework activity was observed",
"An active \'Cobaltstrike\' malware was detected",
"Suspicious \'CobaltStrike\' behavior was prevented",
"Suspicious process launch by Rundll32.exe") 
| extend AlertTime = TimeGenerated | distinct AlertTime, AlertId, Title 
| join AlertEvidence on $left.AlertId == $right.AlertId
| summarize by DeviceId, AlertTime, Title, AlertId
// Get device IDs
| join DeviceLogonEvents on $left.DeviceId == $right.DeviceId 
// Creating 10 day Window surrounding alert activity 
| where TimeGenerated < AlertTime + 12h and TimeGenerated > AlertTime - 12h // Projecting specific columns 
| project Title, DeviceName, DeviceId, TimeGenerated, LogonType, AccountDomain, AccountName, AccountSid, AlertTime, AlertId, RemoteIP, RemoteDeviceName
| extend AccountFullName = tostring(strcat(AccountDomain, "\\", AccountName))
| extend HostName = iff(DeviceName has '.', substring(DeviceName, 0, indexof(DeviceName, '.')), DeviceName)
| extend DnsDomain = iff(DeviceName has '.', substring(DeviceName, indexof(DeviceName, '.') + 1), "")

Declared entities

HostAccountIP

Related content

Links established from declared identifiers and solution manifests.

Source provenance

GitHub

Displayed values come from files in Azure/Azure-Sentinel. They describe the published template, not your workspace configuration.

Source identifier
4bd9ce9d-8586-4beb-8fdb-bd018cacbe7d
Additional source files 2Solutions/Microsoft Defender XDR/Analytic Rules/Ransomware/PotentialCobaltStrikeRansomwareActivity.yamlsource ↗Solutions/Microsoft Defender XDR/Data/Solution_Microsoft Defender XDR.jsonsolution-membership ↗
GSTEP / CATALOG TRACKING

Added to catalog : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC
Last change observed : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC

GSTEP sync dates, separate from the source content’s publication dates.