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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

DNS

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
cf687598-5a2c-46f8-81c8-06b15ed489b1
Additional source files 2Solutions/DNS Essentials/Analytic Rules/MultipleErrorsReportedForSameDNSQueryAnomalyBased.yamlsource ↗Solutions/DNS Essentials/Data/Solution_DNS.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.