↳ GitHub sourceAnalytics ruleMedium

Windows host username encoded in base64 web request

Description

'This detection will identify network requests in HTTP proxy data that contains Base64 encoded usernames from machines in the DeviceEvents table. This technique was seen usee by POLONIUM in their RunningRAT tool.'
Rule type
Scheduled
Version
1.0.1
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.

let accountLookback = 3d;
let requestLookback = 3d;
let extraction_regex = @"(?:\?|&)[a-zA-Z0-9\%]*=([a-zA-Z0-9\/\+\=]*)";
// Collect account names and base64 encode them
DeviceEvents
| where TimeGenerated > ago(accountLookback)
| summarize make_set(DeviceId), make_set(DeviceName) by InitiatingProcessAccountName
| where isnotempty(InitiatingProcessAccountName)
| extend base64_user = base64_encode_tostring(InitiatingProcessAccountName)
| join (
    // Collect requests and extract base64 parameters
    CommonSecurityLog
    | where TimeGenerated > ago(requestLookback)
    | where isnotempty(RequestURL)
    // Summarize early on the RequestURL
    | summarize FirstRequest=min(TimeGenerated), LastRequest=max(TimeGenerated), NumberOfRequests=count() by RequestURL
    | extend base64_candidate = extract_all(extraction_regex, RequestURL)
    | mv-expand base64_candidate  to typeof(string)
) on $left.base64_user == $right.base64_candidate
| project FirstRequest, LastRequest, NumberOfRequests, RequestURL, DeviceIds=set_DeviceId, DeviceNames=set_DeviceName, UserName=InitiatingProcessAccountName

Declared entities

HostURLAccount

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
6e715730-82c0-496c-983b-7a20c4590bd9
Additional source files 1Detections/MultipleDataSources/B64UserInWebURIFromMDE.yamlsource ↗
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.