Run Virtual Instance
Where this stands
One published detection covers this technique. Every one is unverified — no rule on Siemphony has been executed against real telemetry.
What the technique is
Adversaries may carry out malicious operations using a virtual instance to avoid detection. A wide variety of virtualization technologies exist that allow for the emulation of a computer or computing environment. By running malicious code inside of a virtual instance, adversaries can hide artifacts associated with their behavior from security tools that are unable to monitor activity inside the virtual instance. Additionally, depending on the virtual networking implementation (ex: bridged adapter), network traffic generated by the virtual instance can be difficult to trace back to the compromised host as the IP address and hostname might not match known values. Adversaries may utilize native support for virtualization (ex: Hyper-V), deploy lightweight emulators (ex: QEMU), or drop the necessary files to run a virtual instance (ex: VirtualBox binaries). After running a virtual instance, adversaries may create a shared folder between the guest and host with permissions that enable the virtual instance to interact with the host file system. Threat actors may also leverage temporary virtualized environments such as the Windows Sandbox, which supports the use of.wsb configuration files for defining execution parameters. For example, the property supports the creation of a shared folder, while the property allows the specification of a payload. […]
Read it on attack.mitre.orgWhat MITRE says you would watch
- AN0909
Unusual execution of virtualization binaries (VBoxManage.exe, vmware-vmx.exe, vmwp.exe) with headless or suppressed notification arguments. Registry and service modifications linked to virtualization installs. Defender view: anomalies in process creation, service metadata, and registry writes tied to enabling hidden VMs.
- AN0910
Execution of QEMU, KVM, or VirtualBox processes with unusual flags (e.g., '-nographic', '-snapshot'). File creation of VM images in atypical directories. Defender view: monitoring audit logs for process executions and file modifications linked to hidden virtualization.
- AN0911
Execution of virtualization binaries (Parallels, VMware Fusion, VirtualBox) with arguments to hide UI. File monitoring for plist modifications indicating hidden virtualization behavior. Defender perspective: tracking process lineage and file modifications in system configs.
Technique names and descriptions © MITRE ATT&CK®, CC BY 4.0. Not endorsed by MITRE.