AWSCloudTrail - CloudFormation policy created then used for privilege escalation

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Id	efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a
Rulename	AWSCloudTrail - CloudFormation policy created then used for privilege escalation
Description	Identifies creation of IAM policies that grant CloudFormation and IAM permissions commonly used for privilege escalation, followed by attachment activity to a user, role, or group. Review whether the new policy and any subsequent attachment were authorized because this pattern can enable an attacker to create or elevate access.
Severity	High
Tactics	DefenseEvasion PrivilegeEscalation Persistence
Techniques	T1484 T1098.003
Required data connectors	AWS
Kind	Scheduled
Query frequency	1d
Query period	1d
Trigger threshold	0
Trigger operator	gt
Source Uri	https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Solutions/Amazon%20Web%20Services/Analytic%20Rules/AWS_CreatedCloudFormationPolicytoPrivilegeEscalation.yaml
Version	1.0.4
Arm template	efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a.json

KQL

let EventNameList = dynamic(["AttachUserPolicy","AttachRolePolicy","AttachGroupPolicy"]);
let createPolicy =  dynamic(["CreatePolicy", "CreatePolicyVersion"]);
let timeframe = 1d;
let lookback = 14d;
// Creating Master table with all the events to use with materialize for better performance
let EventInfo = AWSCloudTrail
| where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)
| where EventName in (EventNameList) or EventName in (createPolicy)
| extend UserIdentityArn = iif(isempty(UserIdentityArn), tostring(parse_json(Resources)[0].ARN), UserIdentityArn)
| extend UserName = tostring(split(UserIdentityArn, '/')[-1])
| extend AccountName = case( UserIdentityPrincipalid == "Anonymous", "Anonymous", isempty(UserIdentityUserName), UserName, UserIdentityUserName)
| extend AccountName = iif(AccountName contains "@", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 0)[0]), AccountName),
  AccountUPNSuffix = iif(AccountName contains "@", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 1)[0]), "");
//Checking for Policy creation event with Full Admin Privileges since lookback period.
let FullAdminPolicyEvents =  materialize(  EventInfo
| where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)
| where EventName in (createPolicy)
| extend PolicyName = tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyName)
| extend Statement = parse_json(tostring((parse_json(RequestParameters).policyDocument))).Statement
| mvexpand Statement
| extend Action = parse_json(Statement).Action , Effect = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Effect), Resource = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Resource), Condition = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Condition)
| extend Action = tostring(Action)
| where Effect =~ "Allow" and (((Action has "iam:*" or Action has "iam:PassRole") and Action has "cloudformation:*") or ((Action has "iam:*" or Action has "iam:PassRole") and Action contains "cloudformation:DescribeStacks" and Action contains "cloudformation:CreateStack") or ((Action contains "iam:*" or Action contains "iam:PassRole") and Action contains "cloudformation:Describe*" and Action contains "cloudformation:Create*")) and Resource == "*" and Condition == ""
| distinct TimeGenerated, EventName, PolicyName, SourceIpAddress, UserIdentityArn,  RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix
| project-rename StartTime = TimeGenerated  );
let PolicyAttach = materialize(  EventInfo
| where TimeGenerated >= ago(timeframe)
| where EventName in (EventNameList) and isempty(ErrorCode) and isempty(ErrorMessage)
| extend PolicyName = tostring(split(tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyArn),"/")[1])
| summarize AttachEventCount=count(), StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by EventSource, EventName,   RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix, UserIdentityType , UserIdentityArn, SourceIpAddress, PolicyName
| extend AttachEvent = pack("StartTime", StartTime, "EndTime", EndTime, "EventName", EventName, "UserIdentityType",   UserIdentityType, "SourceIpAddress", SourceIpAddress, "AccountName", AccountName, "AccountUPNSuffix", AccountUPNSuffix, "RecipientAccountId", RecipientAccountId, "UserIdentityArn", UserIdentityArn)
| project EventSource, PolicyName, AttachEvent, AttachEventCount, RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix
);
// Joining the list of PolicyNames and checking if it has been attached to any Roles/Users/Groups.
// These Roles/Users/Groups will be Privileged and can be used by adversaries as pivot point for privilege escalation via multiple ways.
FullAdminPolicyEvents
| join kind=leftouter
(
    PolicyAttach
)
on PolicyName
| project-away PolicyName1

YAML

query: |
  let EventNameList = dynamic(["AttachUserPolicy","AttachRolePolicy","AttachGroupPolicy"]);
  let createPolicy =  dynamic(["CreatePolicy", "CreatePolicyVersion"]);
  let timeframe = 1d;
  let lookback = 14d;
  // Creating Master table with all the events to use with materialize for better performance
  let EventInfo = AWSCloudTrail
  | where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)
  | where EventName in (EventNameList) or EventName in (createPolicy)
  | extend UserIdentityArn = iif(isempty(UserIdentityArn), tostring(parse_json(Resources)[0].ARN), UserIdentityArn)
  | extend UserName = tostring(split(UserIdentityArn, '/')[-1])
  | extend AccountName = case( UserIdentityPrincipalid == "Anonymous", "Anonymous", isempty(UserIdentityUserName), UserName, UserIdentityUserName)
  | extend AccountName = iif(AccountName contains "@", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 0)[0]), AccountName),
    AccountUPNSuffix = iif(AccountName contains "@", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 1)[0]), "");
  //Checking for Policy creation event with Full Admin Privileges since lookback period.
  let FullAdminPolicyEvents =  materialize(  EventInfo
  | where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)
  | where EventName in (createPolicy)
  | extend PolicyName = tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyName)
  | extend Statement = parse_json(tostring((parse_json(RequestParameters).policyDocument))).Statement
  | mvexpand Statement
  | extend Action = parse_json(Statement).Action , Effect = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Effect), Resource = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Resource), Condition = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Condition)
  | extend Action = tostring(Action)
  | where Effect =~ "Allow" and (((Action has "iam:*" or Action has "iam:PassRole") and Action has "cloudformation:*") or ((Action has "iam:*" or Action has "iam:PassRole") and Action contains "cloudformation:DescribeStacks" and Action contains "cloudformation:CreateStack") or ((Action contains "iam:*" or Action contains "iam:PassRole") and Action contains "cloudformation:Describe*" and Action contains "cloudformation:Create*")) and Resource == "*" and Condition == ""
  | distinct TimeGenerated, EventName, PolicyName, SourceIpAddress, UserIdentityArn,  RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix
  | project-rename StartTime = TimeGenerated  );
  let PolicyAttach = materialize(  EventInfo
  | where TimeGenerated >= ago(timeframe)
  | where EventName in (EventNameList) and isempty(ErrorCode) and isempty(ErrorMessage)
  | extend PolicyName = tostring(split(tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyArn),"/")[1])
  | summarize AttachEventCount=count(), StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by EventSource, EventName,   RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix, UserIdentityType , UserIdentityArn, SourceIpAddress, PolicyName
  | extend AttachEvent = pack("StartTime", StartTime, "EndTime", EndTime, "EventName", EventName, "UserIdentityType",   UserIdentityType, "SourceIpAddress", SourceIpAddress, "AccountName", AccountName, "AccountUPNSuffix", AccountUPNSuffix, "RecipientAccountId", RecipientAccountId, "UserIdentityArn", UserIdentityArn)
  | project EventSource, PolicyName, AttachEvent, AttachEventCount, RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix
  );
  // Joining the list of PolicyNames and checking if it has been attached to any Roles/Users/Groups.
  // These Roles/Users/Groups will be Privileged and can be used by adversaries as pivot point for privilege escalation via multiple ways.
  FullAdminPolicyEvents
  | join kind=leftouter
  (
      PolicyAttach
  )
  on PolicyName
  | project-away PolicyName1
triggerOperator: gt
requiredDataConnectors:
- dataTypes:
  - AWSCloudTrail
  connectorId: AWS
alertDetailsOverride:
  alertDisplayNameFormat: 'AWS CloudFormation privilege escalation policy activity: {{PolicyName}} by {{AccountName}}'
  alertDescriptionFormat: Detected {{EventName}} for policy {{PolicyName}} from {{SourceIpAddress}}.
customDetails:
  PolicyName: PolicyName
  EventName: EventName
  UserIdentityArn: UserIdentityArn
  RecipientAccountId: RecipientAccountId
name: AWSCloudTrail - CloudFormation policy created then used for privilege escalation
tactics:
- DefenseEvasion
- PrivilegeEscalation
- Persistence
id: efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a
OriginalUri: https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Solutions/Amazon%20Web%20Services/Analytic%20Rules/AWS_CreatedCloudFormationPolicytoPrivilegeEscalation.yaml
severity: High
entityMappings:
- entityType: Account
  fieldMappings:
  - identifier: Name
    columnName: AccountName
  - identifier: UPNSuffix
    columnName: AccountUPNSuffix
  - identifier: CloudAppAccountId
    columnName: RecipientAccountId
- entityType: IP
  fieldMappings:
  - identifier: Address
    columnName: SourceIpAddress
queryFrequency: 1d
version: 1.0.4
relevantTechniques:
- T1484
- T1098.003
status: Available
queryPeriod: 1d
triggerThreshold: 0
description: |
  Identifies creation of IAM policies that grant CloudFormation and IAM permissions commonly used for privilege
  escalation, followed by attachment activity to a user, role, or group. Review whether the new policy and any
  subsequent attachment were authorized because this pattern can enable an attacker to create or elevate access.
kind: Scheduled

ARM

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "workspace": {
      "type": "String"
    }
  },
  "resources": [
    {
      "apiVersion": "2024-01-01-preview",
      "id": "[concat(resourceId('Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/providers', parameters('workspace'), 'Microsoft.SecurityInsights'),'/alertRules/efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a')]",
      "kind": "Scheduled",
      "name": "[concat(parameters('workspace'),'/Microsoft.SecurityInsights/efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a')]",
      "properties": {
        "alertDetailsOverride": {
          "alertDescriptionFormat": "Detected {{EventName}} for policy {{PolicyName}} from {{SourceIpAddress}}.",
          "alertDisplayNameFormat": "AWS CloudFormation privilege escalation policy activity: {{PolicyName}} by {{AccountName}}"
        },
        "alertRuleTemplateName": "efdc3cff-f006-426f-97fd-4657862f7b9a",
        "customDetails": {
          "EventName": "EventName",
          "PolicyName": "PolicyName",
          "RecipientAccountId": "RecipientAccountId",
          "UserIdentityArn": "UserIdentityArn"
        },
        "description": "Identifies creation of IAM policies that grant CloudFormation and IAM permissions commonly used for privilege\nescalation, followed by attachment activity to a user, role, or group. Review whether the new policy and any\nsubsequent attachment were authorized because this pattern can enable an attacker to create or elevate access.\n",
        "displayName": "AWSCloudTrail - CloudFormation policy created then used for privilege escalation",
        "enabled": true,
        "entityMappings": [
          {
            "entityType": "Account",
            "fieldMappings": [
              {
                "columnName": "AccountName",
                "identifier": "Name"
              },
              {
                "columnName": "AccountUPNSuffix",
                "identifier": "UPNSuffix"
              },
              {
                "columnName": "RecipientAccountId",
                "identifier": "CloudAppAccountId"
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "entityType": "IP",
            "fieldMappings": [
              {
                "columnName": "SourceIpAddress",
                "identifier": "Address"
              }
            ]
          }
        ],
        "OriginalUri": "https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Solutions/Amazon%20Web%20Services/Analytic%20Rules/AWS_CreatedCloudFormationPolicytoPrivilegeEscalation.yaml",
        "query": "let EventNameList = dynamic([\"AttachUserPolicy\",\"AttachRolePolicy\",\"AttachGroupPolicy\"]);\nlet createPolicy =  dynamic([\"CreatePolicy\", \"CreatePolicyVersion\"]);\nlet timeframe = 1d;\nlet lookback = 14d;\n// Creating Master table with all the events to use with materialize for better performance\nlet EventInfo = AWSCloudTrail\n| where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)\n| where EventName in (EventNameList) or EventName in (createPolicy)\n| extend UserIdentityArn = iif(isempty(UserIdentityArn), tostring(parse_json(Resources)[0].ARN), UserIdentityArn)\n| extend UserName = tostring(split(UserIdentityArn, '/')[-1])\n| extend AccountName = case( UserIdentityPrincipalid == \"Anonymous\", \"Anonymous\", isempty(UserIdentityUserName), UserName, UserIdentityUserName)\n| extend AccountName = iif(AccountName contains \"@\", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 0)[0]), AccountName),\n  AccountUPNSuffix = iif(AccountName contains \"@\", tostring(split(AccountName, '@', 1)[0]), \"\");\n//Checking for Policy creation event with Full Admin Privileges since lookback period.\nlet FullAdminPolicyEvents =  materialize(  EventInfo\n| where TimeGenerated >= ago(lookback)\n| where EventName in (createPolicy)\n| extend PolicyName = tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyName)\n| extend Statement = parse_json(tostring((parse_json(RequestParameters).policyDocument))).Statement\n| mvexpand Statement\n| extend Action = parse_json(Statement).Action , Effect = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Effect), Resource = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Resource), Condition = tostring(parse_json(Statement).Condition)\n| extend Action = tostring(Action)\n| where Effect =~ \"Allow\" and (((Action has \"iam:*\" or Action has \"iam:PassRole\") and Action has \"cloudformation:*\") or ((Action has \"iam:*\" or Action has \"iam:PassRole\") and Action contains \"cloudformation:DescribeStacks\" and Action contains \"cloudformation:CreateStack\") or ((Action contains \"iam:*\" or Action contains \"iam:PassRole\") and Action contains \"cloudformation:Describe*\" and Action contains \"cloudformation:Create*\")) and Resource == \"*\" and Condition == \"\"\n| distinct TimeGenerated, EventName, PolicyName, SourceIpAddress, UserIdentityArn,  RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix\n| project-rename StartTime = TimeGenerated  );\nlet PolicyAttach = materialize(  EventInfo\n| where TimeGenerated >= ago(timeframe)\n| where EventName in (EventNameList) and isempty(ErrorCode) and isempty(ErrorMessage)\n| extend PolicyName = tostring(split(tostring(parse_json(RequestParameters).policyArn),\"/\")[1])\n| summarize AttachEventCount=count(), StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by EventSource, EventName,   RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix, UserIdentityType , UserIdentityArn, SourceIpAddress, PolicyName\n| extend AttachEvent = pack(\"StartTime\", StartTime, \"EndTime\", EndTime, \"EventName\", EventName, \"UserIdentityType\",   UserIdentityType, \"SourceIpAddress\", SourceIpAddress, \"AccountName\", AccountName, \"AccountUPNSuffix\", AccountUPNSuffix, \"RecipientAccountId\", RecipientAccountId, \"UserIdentityArn\", UserIdentityArn)\n| project EventSource, PolicyName, AttachEvent, AttachEventCount, RecipientAccountId, AccountName, AccountUPNSuffix\n);\n// Joining the list of PolicyNames and checking if it has been attached to any Roles/Users/Groups.\n// These Roles/Users/Groups will be Privileged and can be used by adversaries as pivot point for privilege escalation via multiple ways.\nFullAdminPolicyEvents\n| join kind=leftouter\n(\n    PolicyAttach\n)\non PolicyName\n| project-away PolicyName1\n",
        "queryFrequency": "P1D",
        "queryPeriod": "P1D",
        "severity": "High",
        "status": "Available",
        "subTechniques": [
          "T1098.003"
        ],
        "suppressionDuration": "PT1H",
        "suppressionEnabled": false,
        "tactics": [
          "DefenseEvasion",
          "Persistence",
          "PrivilegeEscalation"
        ],
        "techniques": [
          "T1098",
          "T1484"
        ],
        "templateVersion": "1.0.4",
        "triggerOperator": "GreaterThan",
        "triggerThreshold": 0
      },
      "type": "Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/providers/alertRules"
    }
  ]
}