Hunting for Process Injection Techniques

Overview

Process injection (MITRE ATT&CK T1055) allows adversaries to execute code in the address space of another process, enabling defense evasion and privilege escalation. This skill detects injection techniques via Sysmon Event ID 8 (CreateRemoteThread), Event ID 10 (ProcessAccess with suspicious access rights), and analysis of source-target process relationships to distinguish legitimate from malicious injection.

Prerequisites

• Sysmon installed with Event IDs 8 and 10 enabled
• Process creation logs (Sysmon Event ID 1 or Windows 4688)
• Python 3.8+ with standard library
• JSON-formatted Sysmon event logs

Steps

1. Parse Sysmon Events — Ingest Event IDs 1, 8, and 10 from JSON log files
2. Detect CreateRemoteThread — Flag Event ID 8 with suspicious source-target process pairs
3. Analyze ProcessAccess Rights — Identify Event ID 10 with dangerous access masks (PROCESS_VM_WRITE, PROCESS_CREATE_THREAD)
4. Build Process Relationship Graph — Map source-to-target injection relationships
5. Filter Known Legitimate Pairs — Exclude known benign injection patterns (AV, debuggers, system processes)
6. Score Injection Severity — Apply risk scoring based on source process, target process, and access rights
7. Generate Hunt Report — Produce structured report with MITRE sub-technique mapping

Expected Output

• JSON report of detected injection events with severity scores
• Process injection relationship graph
• MITRE ATT&CK sub-technique mapping (T1055.001-T1055.012)
• False positive exclusion recommendations

Verification Criteria

Confirm successful execution by validating:

• [ ] All prerequisite tools and access requirements are satisfied
• [ ] Each workflow step completed without errors
• [ ] Output matches expected format and contains expected data
• [ ] No security warnings or misconfigurations detected
• [ ] Results are documented and evidence is preserved for audit

Compliance Framework Mapping

This skill supports compliance evidence collection across multiple frameworks:

• SOC 2: CC7.2 (Anomaly Detection), CC7.3 (Incident Identification)
• ISO 27001: A.12.4 (Logging & Monitoring), A.16.1 (Security Incident Management)
• NIST 800-53: SI-4 (System Monitoring), IR-4 (Incident Handling), RA-5 (Vulnerability Scanning)
• NIST CSF: DE.AE (Anomalies & Events), DE.CM (Continuous Monitoring), DE.DP (Detection Processes)

Claw GRC Tip: When this skill is executed by a registered agent, compliance evidence is automatically captured and mapped to the relevant controls in your active frameworks.

Deploying This Skill with Claw GRC

Agent Execution

Register this skill with your Claw GRC agent for automated execution:

# Install via CLI
npx claw-grc skills add hunting-for-process-injection-techniques

# Or load dynamically via MCP
grc.load_skill("hunting-for-process-injection-techniques")

Audit Trail Integration

When executed through Claw GRC, every step of this skill generates tamper-evident audit records:

• SHA-256 chain hashing ensures no step can be modified after execution
• Evidence artifacts (configs, scan results, logs) are automatically attached to relevant controls
• Trust score impact — successful execution increases your agent's trust score

Continuous Compliance

Schedule this skill for recurring execution to maintain continuous compliance posture. Claw GRC monitors for drift and alerts when re-execution is needed.