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detecting-email-forwarding-rules-attack

Investigate suspicious email forwarding and hidden inbox rules that may expose messages after an account compromise. The skill guides log analysis, validation, and reporting, helping analysts document evidence, assess risk, and recommend response actions.

OriginalShow the original description

Detect malicious inbox/mail-flow forwarding rules that adversaries create to maintain persistent access to email communications for intelligence collection and business email compromise. Use when hunting for suspicious auto-forwarding, hidden mailbox rules, or T1114-style email collection persistence after a compromised account or BEC incident.

See how to install

Good for

  • Investigating external forwarding after an account compromise
  • Checking rules that delete security alerts
  • Hunting for rules that forward executive emails
  • Documenting evidence and response recommendations

Files included (8)

  • SKILL.md3.6 KB
  • assets/template.md2.6 KB
  • LICENSE11.0 KB
  • references/api-reference.md1.8 KB
  • references/standards.md1.6 KB
  • references/workflows.md2.9 KB
  • scripts/agent.py5.9 KB
  • scripts/process.py3.6 KB

SKILL.md (original)

Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.

Detecting Email Forwarding Rules Attack

When to Use

  • When proactively hunting for indicators of detecting email forwarding rules attack in the environment
  • After threat intelligence indicates active campaigns using these techniques
  • During incident response to scope compromise related to these techniques
  • When EDR or SIEM alerts trigger on related indicators
  • During periodic security assessments and purple team exercises

Prerequisites

  • EDR platform with process and network telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne)
  • SIEM with relevant log data ingested (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
  • Sysmon deployed with comprehensive configuration
  • Windows Security Event Log forwarding enabled
  • Threat intelligence feeds for IOC correlation

Workflow

  1. Formulate Hypothesis: Define a testable hypothesis based on threat intelligence or ATT&CK gap analysis.
  2. Identify Data Sources: Determine which logs and telemetry are needed to validate or refute the hypothesis.
  3. Execute Queries: Run detection queries against SIEM and EDR platforms to collect relevant events.
  4. Analyze Results: Examine query results for anomalies, correlating across multiple data sources.
  5. Validate Findings: Distinguish true positives from false positives through contextual analysis.
  6. Correlate Activity: Link findings to broader attack chains and threat actor TTPs.
  7. Document and Report: Record findings, update detection rules, and recommend response actions.

Key Concepts

ConceptDescription
T1114.003Email Forwarding Rule
T1114.002Remote Email Collection
T1098.002Additional Email Delegate Permissions

Tools & Systems

ToolPurpose
CrowdStrike FalconEDR telemetry and threat detection
Microsoft Defender for EndpointAdvanced hunting with KQL
Splunk EnterpriseSIEM log analysis with SPL queries
Elastic SecurityDetection rules and investigation timeline
SysmonDetailed Windows event monitoring
VelociraptorEndpoint artifact collection and hunting
Sigma RulesCross-platform detection rule format

Common Scenarios

  1. Scenario 1: BEC actor creating forwarding rule to external email
  2. Scenario 2: Compromised account with rule deleting security alerts
  3. Scenario 3: Inbox rule forwarding CEO emails to attacker mailbox
  4. Scenario 4: OAuth app abuse creating transport rules for data collection

Output Format

Hunt ID: TH-DETECT-[DATE]-[SEQ]
Technique: T1114.003
Host: [Hostname]
User: [Account context]
Evidence: [Log entries, process trees, network data]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
Recommended Action: [Containment, investigation, monitoring]

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