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Umbrella DNS Logs

Overview

Cisco Umbrella offers flexible, cloud-delivered security. It combines multiple security functions into one solution, so that protection can be extended to devices, remote users, and distributed locations anywhere.

  • Vendor: Cisco
  • Supported environment: SaaS
  • Detection based on: Telemetry
  • Supported application or feature: DNS records, Network device logs

Configure

This section will guide you to configure the forwarding of Cisco Umbrella logs to Sekoia.io by means of AWS S3 buckets.

Prerequities

  • Administrator access to the Cisco Umbrella console
  • Access to Sekoia.io Intakes and Playbook pages with write permissions
  • Access to AWS S3 and AWS SQS

Create an AWS S3 Bucket

To create a new AWS S3 Bucket, please refer to this guide.

  1. On the AWS S3, go to Buckets and select our bucket.
  2. Select Permissions tab and go to Bucket Policy section
  3. Click Edit and paste the JSON Bucket policy from Cisco Umbrella
  4. In the Policy, replace the bucketname placeholde by the name of our bucket.
  5. Click Save changes.

Important

Keep in mind to conserve the /* when defining in the policy.

Configure Cisco Umbrella

  1. Log on the Cisco Umbrella console
  2. Go to Admin > Log Management
  3. In the Amazon S3 section, select Use your company-managed Amazon S3 bucket

  4. In Amazon S3 bucket, type the name of your bucket and click Verify.

  5. On your AWS console, go in your bucket.

  6. In the Objects tab, click on README_FROM_UMBRELLA.txt then click on Open
  7. Copy the token from the readme
  8. On the Cisco Umbrella console, in the field Token Number, paste the token and click Save

Note

After clicking Verify, the message Great! We successfully verified your Amazon S3 bucket must be displayed

Note

After clicking Save, the message We’re sending data to your S3 storage must be displayed

Important

According to the type of the logs, the objects will be prefixed with dnslogs/ for DNS logs, proxylogs for proxy logs, iplogs for ip logs, ...

Create a SQS queue

The collect will rely on S3 Event Notifications (SQS) to get new S3 objects.

  1. Create a queue in the SQS service by following this guide
  2. In the Access Policy step, choose the advanced configuration and adapt this configuration sample with your own SQS Amazon Resource Name (ARN) (the main change is the Service directive allowing S3 bucket access): 
    {
  "Version": "2008-10-17",
  "Id": "__default_policy_ID",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "__owner_statement",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": {
    "Service": "s3.amazonaws.com"
      },
      "Action": "SQS:SendMessage",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:sqs:XXX:XXX"
    }
  ]
}

Important

Keep in mind that you have to create the SQS queue in the same region as the S3 bucket you want to watch.

Create a S3 Event notification

Use the following guide to create S3 Event Notification. Once created:

  1. In the General configuration, type dnslogs/ as the Prefix
  2. Select the notification for object creation in the Event type section
  3. As the destination, choose the SQS service
  4. Select the queue you created in the previous section

Create the intake

Go to the intake page and create a new intake from the format Cisco Umbrella DNS.

Pull events

To start to pull events, you have to:

  1. Go to the playbook page and create a new playbook with the AWS Fetch new logs on S3 connector
  2. Set up the module configuration with the AWS Access Key, the secret key and the region name. Set up the trigger configuration with the name of the SQS queue and the intake key, from the intake previously created
  3. Start the playbook and enjoy your events

Raw Events Samples

In this section, you will find examples of raw logs as generated natively by the source. These examples are provided to help integrators understand the data format before ingestion into Sekoia.io. It is crucial for setting up the correct parsing stages and ensuring that all relevant information is captured.

 "2021-02-21 15:30:49","CORP - IP INTERNET","CORP - IP INTERNET","1.1.1.1","1.1.1.1","Blocked","1 (A)","NOERROR","something.net","DNS Tunneling VPN","Networks","Networks","DNS Tunneling VPN"

 "2020-06-12 14:29:47","client","client,FRBCORP","1.1.1.1","2.2.2.2","Allowed","1 (A)","NOERROR","client group","Software/Technology,Business Services,Infrastructure,SaaS and B2B,Science and Technology,Application","AD Users","AD Users,Roaming Computers",""

 "2020-06-12 14:29:48","ERT - IP INTERNET","ERT - IP INTERNET","1.1.1.1","1.1.1.1","Allowed","Other","NXDOMAIN","_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.subdomain.corp.intra.","","Networks","Networks",""

"2024-03-04 11:17:25","Firstname LASTNAME (firstname.lastname@corp.com)","Firstname LASTNAME 
(firstname.lastname@corp.com),FR01-MDBBC-L029.hdb.int,CORP_RANGE_01,CORP","10.1.1.1","80.1.1.1","Allowed","1 (A)","NXDOMAIN","10.1.1.1_1.","","AD Users","AD Users,AD 
Computers,Internal Networks,Sites",""

 "2024-01-15 17:29:16","CORP - IP INTERNET","CORP - IP INTERNET","1.1.1.1","1.1.1.1","Allowed","1 (A)","NOERROR","emea.corp.","","Networks","Networks",""

 "2024-03-12 09:09:48","CD111","CD111","1.1.1.1","1.1.1.1","Allowed","1 (A)","NOERROR","substrate.office.com.","Software/Technology,Webmail,Business Services,Allow List,Organizational Email,Application,Web-based Email,Computers and Internet","Anyconnect Roaming Client","Anyconnect Roaming Client","Allow List"

Detection section

The following section provides information for those who wish to learn more about the detection capabilities enabled by collecting this intake. It includes details about the built-in rule catalog, event categories, and ECS fields extracted from raw events. This is essential for users aiming to create custom detection rules, perform hunting activities, or pivot in the events page.

The following Sekoia.io built-in rules match the intake Cisco Umbrella DNS. This documentation is updated automatically and is based solely on the fields used by the intake which are checked against our rules. This means that some rules will be listed but might not be relevant with the intake.

SEKOIA.IO x Cisco Umbrella DNS on ATT&CK Navigator

Bazar Loader DGA (Domain Generation Algorithm)

Detects Bazar Loader domains based on the Bazar Loader DGA

  • Effort: elementary
Cisco Umbrella Threat Detected

Cisco Umbrella has detected a malicious traffic categorized as malware, phishing or adware.

  • Effort: intermediate
Cobalt Strike DNS Beaconing

Detects suspicious DNS queries known from Cobalt Strike beacons. The threshold is more than 50 suspicious DNS requests to avoid false positives.

  • Effort: advanced
Correlation Potential DNS Tunnel

Detects domain name which is longer than 95 characters. Long domain names are distinctive of DNS tunnels.

  • Effort: advanced
Cryptomining

Detection of domain names potentially related to cryptomining activities.

  • Effort: master
Dynamic DNS Contacted

Detect communication with dynamic dns domain. This kind of domain is often used by attackers. This rule can trigger false positive in non-controlled environment because dynamic dns is not always malicious.

  • Effort: master
EvilProxy Phishing Domain

Detects subdomains potentially generated by the EvilProxy adversary-in-the-middle phishing platform. Inspect the other subdomains of the domain to identify the landing page, and determine if the user submitted credentials. This rule has a small percentage of false positives on legitimate domains.

  • Effort: intermediate
Exfiltration Domain

Detects traffic toward a domain flagged as a possible exfiltration vector.

  • Effort: master
Login Brute-Force Successful On SentinelOne EDR Management Console

A user has attempted to login several times (brute-force) on the SentinelOne EDR Management Console and succeeded to login.

  • Effort: master
Potential DNS Tunnel

Detects domain name which is longer than 95 characters. Long domain names are distinctive of DNS tunnels.

  • Effort: advanced
Remote Access Tool Domain

Detects traffic toward a domain flagged as a Remote Administration Tool (RAT).

  • Effort: master
Remote Monitoring and Management Software - AnyDesk

Detect artifacts related to the installation or execution of the Remote Monitoring and Management tool AnyDesk.

  • Effort: master
Remote Monitoring and Management Software - Atera

Detect artifacts related to the installation or execution of the Remote Monitoring and Management tool Atera.

  • Effort: master
SEKOIA.IO Intelligence Feed

Detect threats based on indicators of compromise (IOCs) collected by SEKOIA's Threat and Detection Research team.

  • Effort: elementary
Sekoia.io EICAR Detection

Detects observables in Sekoia.io CTI tagged as EICAR, which are fake samples meant to test detection.

  • Effort: master
Sliver DNS Beaconing

Detects suspicious DNS queries known from Sliver beaconing

  • Effort: intermediate
Suspicious TOR Gateway

Detects suspicious TOR gateways. Gateways are often used by the victim to pay and decrypt the encrypted files without installing TOR. Tor intercepts the network traffic from one or more apps on user’s computer, usually the user web browser, and shuffles it through a number of randomly-chosen computers before passing it on to its destination. This disguises user location, and makes it harder for servers to pick him/her out on repeat visits, or to tie together separate visits to different sites, this making tracking and surveillance more difficult. Before a network packet starts its journey, user’s computer chooses a random list of relays and repeatedly encrypts the data in multiple layers, like an onion. Each relay knows only enough to strip off the outermost layer of encryption, before passing what’s left on to the next relay in the list.

  • Effort: advanced
TOR Usage Generic Rule

Detects TOR usage globally, whether the IP is a destination or source. TOR is short for The Onion Router, and it gets its name from how it works. TOR intercepts the network traffic from one or more apps on user’s computer, usually the user web browser, and shuffles it through a number of randomly-chosen computers before passing it on to its destination. This disguises user location, and makes it harder for servers to pick him/her out on repeat visits, or to tie together separate visits to different sites, this making tracking and surveillance more difficult. Before a network packet starts its journey, user’s computer chooses a random list of relays and repeatedly encrypts the data in multiple layers, like an onion. Each relay knows only enough to strip off the outermost layer of encryption, before passing what’s left on to the next relay in the list.

  • Effort: master
Telegram Bot API Request

Detects suspicious DNS queries to api.telegram.org used by Telegram Bots of any kind

  • Effort: advanced

Event Categories

The following table lists the data source offered by this integration.

Data Source Description
DNS records DNS queries are fully analyzed
Network device logs DNS queries logged by Umbrella DNS

Transformed Events Samples after Ingestion

This section demonstrates how the raw logs will be transformed by our parsers. It shows the extracted fields that will be available for use in the built-in detection rules and hunting activities in the events page. Understanding these transformations is essential for analysts to create effective detection mechanisms with custom detection rules and to leverage the full potential of the collected data.

{
    "message": " \"2021-02-21 15:30:49\",\"CORP - IP INTERNET\",\"CORP - IP INTERNET\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"Blocked\",\"1 (A)\",\"NOERROR\",\"something.net\",\"DNS Tunneling VPN\",\"Networks\",\"Networks\",\"DNS Tunneling VPN\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "success"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2021-02-21T15:30:49Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "success",
        "properties": {
            "Categories": "DNS Tunneling VPN"
        },
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "blocked"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "something.net",
            "registered_domain": "something.net",
            "top_level_domain": "net",
            "type": "A"
        },
        "response_code": "NOERROR",
        "size_in_char": "13",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "something.net"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "1.1.1.1"
        ],
        "user": [
            "CORP - IP INTERNET"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "1.1.1.1",
        "ip": "1.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "1.1.1.1"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "CORP - IP INTERNET"
    }
}

{
    "message": " \"2020-06-12 14:29:47\",\"client\",\"client,FRBCORP\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"2.2.2.2\",\"Allowed\",\"1 (A)\",\"NOERROR\",\"client group\",\"Software/Technology,Business Services,Infrastructure,SaaS and B2B,Science and Technology,Application\",\"AD Users\",\"AD Users,Roaming Computers\",\"\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "success"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2020-06-12T14:29:47Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "success",
        "properties": {
            "Categories": "Software/Technology,Business Services,Infrastructure,SaaS and B2B,Science and Technology,Application"
        },
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "allowed"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "client group",
            "type": "A"
        },
        "response_code": "NOERROR",
        "size_in_char": "12",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "client group"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "1.1.1.1",
            "2.2.2.2"
        ],
        "user": [
            "client"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "1.1.1.1",
        "ip": "1.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "2.2.2.2"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "client"
    }
}

{
    "message": " \"2020-06-12 14:29:48\",\"ERT - IP INTERNET\",\"ERT - IP INTERNET\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"Allowed\",\"Other\",\"NXDOMAIN\",\"_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.subdomain.corp.intra.\",\"\",\"Networks\",\"Networks\",\"\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "failure"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2020-06-12T14:29:48Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "failure",
        "outcome_reason": "NXDOMAIN",
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "allowed"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.subdomain.corp.intra",
            "subdomain": "_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.subdomain.corp"
        },
        "response_code": "NXDOMAIN",
        "size_in_char": "42",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.subdomain.corp.intra"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "1.1.1.1"
        ],
        "user": [
            "ERT - IP INTERNET"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "1.1.1.1",
        "ip": "1.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "1.1.1.1"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "ERT - IP INTERNET"
    }
}

{
    "message": "\"2024-03-04 11:17:25\",\"Firstname LASTNAME (firstname.lastname@corp.com)\",\"Firstname LASTNAME \n(firstname.lastname@corp.com),FR01-MDBBC-L029.hdb.int,CORP_RANGE_01,CORP\",\"10.1.1.1\",\"80.1.1.1\",\"Allowed\",\"1 (A)\",\"NXDOMAIN\",\"10.1.1.1_1.\",\"\",\"AD Users\",\"AD Users,AD \nComputers,Internal Networks,Sites\",\"\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "failure"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2024-03-04T11:17:25Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "failure",
        "outcome_reason": "NXDOMAIN",
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "allowed"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "10.1.1.1_1",
            "subdomain": "10.1.1",
            "type": "A"
        },
        "response_code": "NXDOMAIN",
        "size_in_char": "11",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "10.1.1.1_1"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "10.1.1.1",
            "80.1.1.1"
        ],
        "user": [
            "Firstname LASTNAME (firstname.lastname@corp.com)"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "10.1.1.1",
        "ip": "10.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "80.1.1.1"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "Firstname LASTNAME (firstname.lastname@corp.com)"
    }
}

{
    "message": " \"2024-01-15 17:29:16\",\"CORP - IP INTERNET\",\"CORP - IP INTERNET\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"Allowed\",\"1 (A)\",\"NOERROR\",\"emea.corp.\",\"\",\"Networks\",\"Networks\",\"\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "success"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2024-01-15T17:29:16Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "success",
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "allowed"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "emea.corp",
            "subdomain": "emea",
            "type": "A"
        },
        "response_code": "NOERROR",
        "size_in_char": "10",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "emea.corp"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "1.1.1.1"
        ],
        "user": [
            "CORP - IP INTERNET"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "1.1.1.1",
        "ip": "1.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "1.1.1.1"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "CORP - IP INTERNET"
    }
}

{
    "message": " \"2024-03-12 09:09:48\",\"CD111\",\"CD111\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"1.1.1.1\",\"Allowed\",\"1 (A)\",\"NOERROR\",\"substrate.office.com.\",\"Software/Technology,Webmail,Business Services,Allow List,Organizational Email,Application,Web-based Email,Computers and Internet\",\"Anyconnect Roaming Client\",\"Anyconnect Roaming Client\",\"Allow List\"",
    "event": {
        "outcome": "success"
    },
    "@timestamp": "2024-03-12T09:09:48Z",
    "action": {
        "name": "DNS query",
        "outcome": "success",
        "properties": {
            "Categories": "Software/Technology,Webmail,Business Services,Allow List,Organizational Email,Application,Web-based Email,Computers and Internet"
        },
        "target": "network-traffic",
        "type": "allowed"
    },
    "dns": {
        "question": {
            "name": "substrate.office.com",
            "registered_domain": "office.com",
            "subdomain": "substrate",
            "top_level_domain": "com",
            "type": "A"
        },
        "response_code": "NOERROR",
        "size_in_char": "21",
        "type": "query"
    },
    "related": {
        "hosts": [
            "substrate.office.com"
        ],
        "ip": [
            "1.1.1.1"
        ],
        "user": [
            "CD111"
        ]
    },
    "source": {
        "address": "1.1.1.1",
        "ip": "1.1.1.1",
        "nat": {
            "ip": "1.1.1.1"
        }
    },
    "user": {
        "name": "CD111"
    }
}

Extracted Fields

The following table lists the fields that are extracted, normalized under the ECS format, analyzed and indexed by the parser. It should be noted that infered fields are not listed.

Name Type Description
@timestamp date Date/time when the event originated.
action.properties.Categories keyword
action.target keyword the target of the action
dns.question.name keyword The name being queried.
dns.question.type keyword The type of record being queried.
dns.response_code keyword The DNS response code.
dns.size_in_char keyword
dns.type keyword The type of DNS event captured, query or answer.
source.ip ip IP address of the source.
source.nat.ip ip Source NAT ip
user.name keyword Short name or login of the user.

For more information on the Intake Format, please find the code of the Parser, Smart Descriptions, and Supported Events here.

Further Readings