SPARK uses Sigma Rules in Eventlog Scan

by Florian RothJun 28, 2018

Sigma is a rule format for threat detection in log files. It is for log data what “Snort rules” are for network traffic or “YARA signatures” are for file data. It is easy to write and read. Writing a Sigma rule is a matter of minutes.

On the right you can see a simple Sigma rule that checks the “System” eventlog for traces of password dumper activity. The detection section contains 1+ identifiers (selection, keywords, quarkspwdump) that can be defined freely by the rule author. These selectors are used in the condition to build the rule.

It also contains a description, references, possible false positives and a level.

Analysts use Sigma to generate search queries for their SIEM or log management solution. The Sigma repo contains a converter that allows to convert the generic rules to ElasticSearch, Splunk, QRadar, Logpoint, Windows Defender ATP (WDATP) and ArcSight.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could apply Sigma rules on the endpoint?

Well, the upcoming version 1.14 of SPARK, which will be released at the end of July, does that. It applies Sigma rules to the local Eventlog. This way you’re able to apply searches that you have once defined for your SIEM to the local Eventlogs.

This way you are able “query” the standalone systems that are not connected to your SIEM and uncover otherwise common blind spots in your environment.

We ship the current rule set, which is part of the public Sigma repository and contains more than 200 rules with our SPARK program package in an encrypted form. (*.yms)

You can add your own Sigma rules to the “./custom-signatures/sigma/” folder in the SPARK program directory.

To activate Sigma scanning, use the new “–sigma” parameter.

Currently only SPARK supports this feature and there are no plans to implement this in THOR as well.

The feature is currently free for all customers but may become a premium feature that has to be licensed separately by the end of the year depending on the customer’s plan.

See the comparison table for a complete overview on all features.

About the author:

Florian Roth

Florian Roth serves as the Head of Research and Development at Nextron Systems. With a background in IT security since 2000, he has delved deep into nation-state cyber attacks since 2012. Florian has developed the THOR Scanner and actively engages with the community via his Twitter handle @cyb3rops. He has contributed to open-source projects, including 'Sigma', a generic SIEM rule format, and 'LOKI', an open-source scanner. Additionally, he has shared valuable resources like a mapping of APT groups and operations and an Antivirus Event Analysis Cheat Sheet.