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Detect DNS queries reporting multiple errors from different clients - Anomaly Based (ASIM DNS Solution)
Description
'This rule makes use of the series decompose anomaly method to generate an alert when multiple clients report errors for the same DNS query. This rule monitors DNS traffic over a period of 14 days to detect possible similar C2 communication originating from different clients. It utilizes [ASIM](https://aka.ms/AboutASIM) normalization and is applied to any source that supports the ASIM DNS schema. The rule also depends on the "**DNSEssentialsCustomParser**" Parser, so please make sure it is installed and configured before you use this Rule.'
- Rule type
- Scheduled
- Version
- 1.0.3
- Declared status
- Available
- Query frequency
- 1d
- Query period
- 14d
- Trigger
- gt 0
Declared MITRE coverage
KQL query
Original query, unchanged.
let threshold = 2.5;
let min_t = ago(14d);
let max_t = now();
let dt = 1d;
let Errors = dynamic(['NXDOMAIN', 'SERVFAIL', 'REFUSED']);
// calculate avg. eps(events per second)
let eps = materialize (_Im_Dns | project TimeGenerated | where TimeGenerated > ago(5m) | count | extend Count = Count/300);
let maxSummarizedTime = toscalar (
union isfuzzy=true
(
DNSEssentialsCustomParser
| where Type in ("DNS_Summarized_Logs_ip_CL", "DNS_Summarized_Logs_ipV1_CL")
| where EventTime_t >= min_t
| summarize max_TimeGenerated=max(EventTime_t)
| extend max_TimeGenerated = datetime_add('hour',1,max_TimeGenerated)
),
(
print(min_t)
| project max_TimeGenerated = print_0
)
| summarize maxTimeGenerated = max(max_TimeGenerated)
);
let summarizationexist = materialize(
union isfuzzy=true
(
DNSEssentialsCustomParser
| where Type in ("DNS_Summarized_Logs_ip_CL", "DNS_Summarized_Logs_ipV1_CL")
| where EventTime_t > ago(1d)
| project v = int(2)
),
(
print int(1)
| project v = print_0
)
| summarize maxv = max(v)
| extend sumexist = (maxv > 1)
);
let allData = union isfuzzy=true
(
(datatable(exists:int, sumexist:bool)[1,false] | where toscalar(eps) > 1000 | join (summarizationexist) on sumexist) | join (
_Im_Dns(starttime=todatetime(ago(2d)), endtime=now())
| where TimeGenerated > maxSummarizedTime and EventResultDetails in (Errors)
| summarize Count=count() by SrcIpAddr, DnsQuery, bin(TimeGenerated,1h)
| extend EventTime = TimeGenerated, Count = toint(Count), exists=int(1)
) on exists
| project-away exists, maxv, sum*
),
(
(datatable(exists:int, sumexist:bool)[1,false] | where toscalar(eps) between (501 .. 1000) | join (summarizationexist) on sumexist) | join (
_Im_Dns(starttime=todatetime(ago(3d)), endtime=now())
| where TimeGenerated > maxSummarizedTime and EventResultDetails in (Errors)
| summarize Count=count() by SrcIpAddr, DnsQuery, bin(TimeGenerated,1h)
| extend EventTime = TimeGenerated, Count = toint(Count), exists=int(1)
) on exists
| project-away exists, maxv, sum*
),
(
(datatable(exists:int, sumexist:bool)[1,false] | where toscalar(eps) <= 500 | join (summarizationexist) on sumexist) | join (
_Im_Dns(starttime=todatetime(ago(4d)), endtime=now())
| where TimeGenerated > maxSummarizedTime and EventResultDetails in (Errors)
| summarize Count=count() by SrcIpAddr, DnsQuery, bin(TimeGenerated,1h)
| extend EventTime = TimeGenerated, Count = toint(Count), exists=int(1)
) on exists
| project-away exists, maxv, sum*
),
(
DNSEssentialsCustomParser
| where Type in ("DNS_Summarized_Logs_ip_CL", "DNS_Summarized_Logs_ipV1_CL")
| where EventTime_t > min_t and EventResultDetails_s in (Errors)
| project-rename SrcIpAddr=SrcIpAddr_s, DnsQuery=DnsQuery_s, Count=count__d, EventTime=EventTime_t
| extend Count = toint(Count)
);
allData
| make-series TotalIPCount=dcount(SrcIpAddr) on EventTime from min_t to max_t step dt by DnsQuery
| extend (anomalies, score, baseline) = series_decompose_anomalies(TotalIPCount, threshold, -1, 'linefit')
| mv-expand anomalies, score, baseline, EventTime, TotalIPCount
| extend
anomalies = toint(anomalies),
score = toint(score),
baseline = toint(baseline),
EventTime = todatetime(EventTime),
TotalIPs = tolong(TotalIPCount)
| where EventTime >= ago(dt)
| where score >= threshold * 2
| join kind=inner(allData | where TimeGenerated>ago(dt) | summarize SrcIps = make_set(SrcIpAddr,1000) by DnsQuery) on DnsQuery
| project-away DnsQuery1
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.
- File
- Solutions/DNS Essentials/Analytic Rules/MultipleErrorsReportedForSameDNSQueryAnomalyBased.yaml ↗
- Commit
9800e51↗- Source identifier
cf687598-5a2c-46f8-81c8-06b15ed489b1
GSTEP / CATALOG TRACKING
Added to catalog : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC
Last change observed : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC