Malop Types and Components

The Cybereason platform has various categories of MalOps to help you understand where a MalOp was detected and what type of activity occurred.

Basic Malop types

The Malops management screen displays MalOp type icons to easily determine what type of activity occurred.

Icon	MalOp type	Description
	AI Hunting MalOps	MalOps that represent threats that the Cybereason Cross Machine Correlation (CMC) engine or private and global threat intelligence sources identifies.
	Endpoint Protection MalOps	MalOps that were triggered by threats detected or prevented on the endpoint, including known malware, unknown malware, and ransomware. The Cybereason platform generates Endpoint Protection MalOps for multiple types of malware, including: Known: MalOps are generated from known malware detected by signature-based detection. Unknown: MalOps are generated from previously unknown malware detected by artificial intelligence. Fileless: MalOps are generated from malware not based on a file, such as PowerShell-based attacks. App Control MalOps are generated based on the prevention of applications/processes marked for prevention in the Reputation screen (see Manage Reputations).

MalOp states

When the Cybereason platform etects a MalOp, the Cybereason platform immediately assigns a state to the MalOp. The MalOp State represents how the MalOp is currently behaving in your environment, and helps inform what response actions an analyst should take. MalOps can have the following states in the Malops management screen.

Icon	State	Description
(Red)	Active	Active MalOps are red and require urgent response. A MalOp is active if the malicious behavior is currently active. This could mean that a malicious file is open, or a malicious process is running. For malware, the Cybereason platform cannot know if the malicious item was accessed, so the alert is considered Active as long as it hasn’t been addressed.
(Yellow)	Inactive	Inactive Malops are yellow and indicate further response is recommended. A MalOp is inactive if the associated processes are not active, but a risk still exists. For example, if a file is not currently executing but could be malicious, an analyst might want to at it to the blocklist.
(Green)	Resolved	Resolved MalOps are green and indicate no further action is required. A MalOp is considered resolved if one of the following occurs: The Cybereason platform automatically prevents, disinfects, or quarantines a malicious item. An analyst manually resolves the MalOp using the Mark as remediated/resolved button in the Malops management or Malop details screen.
(Grey)	Excluded	Excluded MalOps are grey and indicate that the MalOp was addressed and the ‘Malop is benign - Exclude’ option was chosen during remediation. Excluding a MalOp means the specific behaviors in the MalOps will not trigger a MalOp in the future.

If you are using the Malop inbox to manage MalOps, see the Respond to Malops section in the version 19.2 documentation. We recommend transitioning to the Malops management screen to better view and respond to all threats in your environment.

MalOp components

MalOps contain the complete story of a cyber attack, including affected machines, users, files, and more. These associated items help the analyst not only understand what happened, but where and to whom the malicious activity occurred.

Analysts can see a timeline of all associated activity for the MalOp. The timeline includes all activity that the Cybereason platform has associated with the MalOp, such as processes and files.

The MalOp contains a list of suspicions that led to the MalOp generation, and evidences that led to the creation of the suspicion.

In addition, the Cybereason platform adds the following information about a MalOp:

• Triggering item: The process that caused the Cybereason platform to create a MalOp.

• Detection type: Category of activity that the Cybereason platform recognized as the malicious behavior.

• Root cause: The underlying reason why an activity is considered malicious.

Within the MalOp, you can learn more about the associated machines, users, files, processes, and so forth. You can view collected details about these items and investigate specific items in the Investigation screen.

In the Malops management screen, you can view all these details:

Note

A single MalOp may have multiple root causes. The root cause listed in the Malops management screen is the primary root cause, or the one that requires the most attention.

MalOp certainty levels

To help you better understand malicious behavior, the Cybereason platform further classifies MalOps by certainty levels. Certainty levels indicate the degree to which the Cybereason platform is confident the behavior is a threat. Cybereason identifies the following certainty levels, each of which contain different detection types.

The following tables list the Cybereason MalOp detection types and root causes organized by certainty level. The Investigation column recommends properties to focus on when you investigate a MalOp that has a certain detection type and root cause. For more details about investigating these properties, see Analyze MalOps and Determine Threat Level.

Verified MalOps

Verified MalOps are verified by the Cybereason Security Research team, meaning they demonstrate malicious activity and are likely a threat to your system.

Detection type	Root cause	Malop triggered when…	Investigate
Blocklist	Application Control blocked application on blocklist	Application Control blocks the execution of a process that was added to the blocklist	Process
Blocklist	Blocklist file hash	The image file of this process appears on the blocklist	Image file of the process
Blocklist	Blocklist module	Process loads a module that appears on the blocklist	Loaded module and process
Blocklist	Connection to blocklist IP address	Process connects to an IP address that appears on the blocklist	Process, domain and connections
Command and Control (CNC)	Accessing address used by malware	Process connects to an address that was identified as being used by malware	Network and process
Command and Control (CNC)	Connection to malicious address	Process connects to an address known to be malicious	Network and process
Command and Control (CNC)	Connection to a malicious domain	Process creates a DNS query or a direct connection to a domain classified as malicious by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	Network and process
Command and Control (CNC)	Download from malicious domain	Process downloads a payload from a domain classified as malicious	Process and connections
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious use of a Domain Generation Algorithm	Process uses a Domain Generation Algorithm to communicate with its Command & Control server	Network and process
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious rclone.exe process masqueradied as another process to perform copy operations	The rclone.exe process was renamed to another process and then performed copy operations	Process
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious use of PowerShell	PowerShell process was identified trying to download malicious payload, or executed an obfuscated command	Network, process, and process hierarchy
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious use of NetSupport tool	Process used the NetSupport remote access tool for malicious activity	Process
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious execution of PsExec process was launched by the ScreenConnect process	Attacker used the ScreenConnect process to launch a malicious PsExec process	Process
Command and Control (CNC)	Malicious file in temporary folder run by ScreenConnect	Attacker used the ScreenConnect process to run malicious files in a temporary folder	Process, Files
Command and Control (CNC)	ScreenConnect ran malicious unsigned file	Attacker used the ScreenConnect process to run malicious unsigned files	Process, Files
Command and Control (CNC)	Download from malicious domain	Process used Download and Execute	Process and connections
Credential theft	Attempted credential theft	Process attempts to access OS resources that store user’s credentials	Process and file
Credential theft	Malicious access to the NTDS.dit file	Process attempts to access the NTDS.dts file where the operating system stores user credentials	Process and file
Credential theft	Malicious access to ntds.dit or SAM resources	Process uses the esenutil utility to access credential information	Process
Elevated access	Malicious Privilege Escalation	An app or user has tried to elevate their privileges on the device	Process hierarchy and file
Extension manipulation	Malicious by Obscured Extension	File is determined to be malicious because it obscures the real file extension by using multiple file extensions	Process and file
Known malware	BlackCat Ransomware	The BlackCat ransomware program ran on a machine	All components for all known malware
Known malware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified a malicious executable	Process’s image file hash was identified as malicious by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	All components for all known malware
Known malware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified a loaded module as a malicious tool	Process instance loads a module identified as a malicious tool by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	All components for all known malware
Known malware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified a loaded module as malicious	Process instance loads a module identified as malware by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	All components for all known malware
Known malware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified a malicious tool	Process is identified as a malicious tool by its behavior or file characteristics	All components for all known malware
Known malware	IcedID MainBot malware execution	A process loaded the IcedID MainBot malware tool	Process
Known malware	Known malware detected by Cybereason Anti-Malware	Cybereason Anti-Malware detects the presence of known malware	All components for all known malware
CVE_2020_06_01 Attempted exploitation	CVE-2020-0601 - attempted exploitation	A process attempts to exploit the vulnerability noted in CVE_2020_06_01	Process
Malicious process	Attempt to stop or disable the Cybereason service	Any process performed operations to stop or disable the Cybereason Sensor services	Process
Malicious process	File-less malware	Process executes malicious payload that exists exclusively in memory.	Process and process hierarchy
Malicious process	Java-based Malware	Process exhibits Java-based RAT (Remote Access Trojan) behaviors	Process hierarchy
Malicious process	Malicious use of an OS process	Process exhibits unusual behavior related to regsvr, rundll32, etc.	Process hierarchy and file
Malicious process	Malicious By Floating Code	Cybereason NGAV detects the presence of a floating module classified as malicious	Process and module
Malicious process	Process was initiated by a malicious packed binary	Process runs from a DLL file that was packed using a special packer process	Process
Malicious process	Process opened a malicious file	Process opens a file that has been identified as malicious by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	Process hierarchy and file
Malicious process	Process ran malicious command	A PowerShell process runs a known malicious command	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded Cobalt Strike Beacon	A process loads the Cobalt Strike Beacon tool on a machine.	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded PowerShell Empire	A process loads the PowerShell Empire agent on a machine	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded a Meterpreter agent	A process loads the Meterpreter agent on a machine	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded Mimikatz	A process loads the Mimikatz framework on a machine	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded a PeddleCheap agent	A process loads the PeddleCheap agent on a machine	Process
Malicious process	Process has loaded a malicious tool	A process loads a malicious tool on a machine	Process
Malicious process	Remote Access Trojan	Process exhibits RAT (Remote Access Trojan) behavior	Process and process hierarchy
Malicious process	Shellcode Execution	Process contains injected shellcode	Module and process
Malicious process	Sliver Shell tool execution	Process runs the Sliver Shell tool	Process
Malicious process	Web shell execution	Cybereason detects anomalous behavior of web server process execution	Process hierarchy
Malicious process	Malicious InstallUtil process execution	Process uses the InstallUtil utility program to make external connections	Process
Malicious process	Msmpeng.exe process mismatch	Msmpeng.exe process was renamed	Process
Malicious process	Malicious execution of MSBuild process by MS Office process	An MS Office process ran the MSBuild utility	Process
Malicious process	Malicious .NET process compilation	An process opened a .NET compiler that performed malicious activities	Process
Malicious process	Malicious MSBuild process execution with outgoing connections	MSBuild process was run and made connections with external addresses	Process
Persistence	Malicious fake module	Process loads a malicious fake module (one with the correct name, but different metadata)	Modules
Persistence	Masquerading as a Windows accessibility feature	Process contains an identified method of bypassing Windows accessibility features and executing shell processes	Process hierarchy
Process injection	Malicious Code Injection	Remote process identified injecting code into different process. For example, floating code or DLL	All components for injecting and host processes. If injected dll, investigate file for dll
Ransomware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified an executable as ransomware	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified a loaded module as ransomware	All components
Ransomware	Process’s image file hash is identified as a ransomware by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified an executable as Ransomware	All components
Ransomware	Ransomware behavior	Process exhibits ransomware behavior, such as encrypting files and attempting to delete backups	All components
Mobile	Abnormal Process Activity Malop	A mobile device app is performing abnormal activity	Device
Mobile	Android Device possible tampering	Android device shows evidence of having device security restrictions removed	Device
Mobile	App tampering	Attacker has removed security restrictions from an app	Device
Mobile	Device configurations that may put corporate and personal data at risk	Some device configurations may expose corporate and personal data	Device
Mobile	Device jailbroken/rooted	Device configurations have changed to enable root or administrative access to the device	Device
Mobile	Elevation of Privileges	Detection of an app or user escalating their privilege levels on the device	Device
Mobile	Malicious application	The device has a malicious app	Device
Mobile	A malware that aggressively displays ads, negatively affecting user productivity and device performance	Malware on the device is running ads aggressively	Device
Mobile	A malware that attempts to obtain escalated system privileges	Malware on the device is trying to escalate app privileges	Device
Mobile	A malware that blocks access to a device until a ransom is paid	Malware is trying to lock and encrypt the device in a ransomware attack	Device
Mobile	MITM attack	A network attack is using the Man-in-the-Middle technique to intercept device traffic	Device
Mobile	MITM attack via ARP	A network attack is using the Man-in-the-Middle technique via ARP to intercept device traffic	Device
Mobile	MITM - Fake SSL Certificate	A network attack is using the Man-in-the-Middle technique with a fake SSL certificate to intercept device traffic	Device
Mobile	MITM attack through SSL Strip	A network attack is using the Man-in-the-Middle technique by downgrading SSL communication from HTTPS to HTTP to intercept device traffic	Device
Mobile	MITM attack via ICMP redirect	A network attack is using using the Man-in-the-Middle technique by ICMP redirect to intercept device traffic	Device
Mobile	Persistent modifications to devices file systems	Attacker has modified the device file system to allow the attacker persistent access	Device
Mobile	Rogue Access Point	Device has connected to a potentially malicious WiFi hotspot	Device
Mobile	Sideloaded apps	The device installed an app from an unusual and potentially untrusted source	Device
Mobile	A site designed to deceive the end user into submitting sensitive personal or corporate information through a seemingly trusted web form	Device visits a site with a web form to trick a user into submitting personal information	Device
Mobile	Suspicious iOS App	A suspicious app is running on an iOS device	Device
Mobile	System Tampering	Security precautions have been removed	Device
Mobile	Third party application stores	The device has installed a third-party application store	Device
Mobile	Untrusted profile	The device has at least one unknown and untrusted profile	Device

Research MalOps

Research MalOps are based on experimental rules that examine new threat detection logic and which Cybereason evaluates over time. Detections for these types of MalOps are turned off by default because they have the potential to cause false positives and have a certainty level that is dramatically lower than MalOps classified as Verified. If you think you are not catching all the potentially malicious activity you want, or you have a strict environment, contact customer support to turn on this feature and see MalOps classified as Research.

Detection type	Root cause	MalOp triggered when…	Investigate
Data transmission volume	High volume of transmitted data by injected process	Injected process transmits high volume of data	Network and process
Malicious process	Malicious creation of a child process by Microsoft Office process	Microsoft Office process created a child process that performed malicious activities	Process
Malicious process	The process attempted to exploit a known CVE	Process attempts to exploit a known vulnerability	Process
Malicious process	Covert process execution	Process attempts to hide its activities	Process
Malicious process	Zerologon CVE 2020-1472 exploit attempt	Process attempts to use the ZeroLogon vulnerability	Process
Phishing	Malicious execution of shell process	Process is a shell process that was executed in a non-standard way and might be used for malicious operations	Process hierarchy
Phishing	Malicious document detected	Use of a malicious document is detected	Process hierarchy and file
Reconnaissance	Process is performing suspicious scanning activities	Process performs network scanning actions while running injected code	Processes and network
Reconnaissance	Suspicious scanning activity by an elevated process	Process performs network scans while running with high privileges or escalating a child process to run with high privileges	Processes and network
Credential Theft	Abnormal process invocation using DCOM	Process uses DCOM to start another process	Process
Credential Theft	Active Directory Abuse	Process uses an MS-RPC request to retrieve or update Active Directory information on a machine	Process
Credential Theft	The process performed a malicious read/write memory access to a sensitive process	Process attempts to access memory resources for LSASS.exe process	Process and file
Persistence	Async Rat malware detected	Process performs suspicious actions using MSHTA and opens PowerShell downloaders	Process, Connections
Persistence	User login/logout hook detected	Process created a hook on a macOS machine to enable the process to persist when a user logs in or logs out	Process
Elevated access	Attempt to disable macOS Gatekeeper	Process attempts to disable the macOS Gatekeeper functionality to elevate the process privileges	Process

Low Priority MalOps

The Low Priority MalOps classification is used for MalOps that detect potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Low priority MalOps demonstrate less malicious activity than other MalOps in your organization. Additionally, certain organizations do not classify PUPs as malicious. To view Low Priority MalOps, check the Include PUPs box on the top right of the Malop Inbox.

Detection type	Root cause	MalOp triggered when…	Investigate
Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP)	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified an Unwanted Executable	Process image file hash is identified as a Potentially Unwanted Program by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	Image file of the process
Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP)	Cybereason Threat Intelligence identified an Unwanted Module	Process loads a module identified as a Potentially Unwanted Program by Cybereason Threat Intelligence	Loaded module