PowerShell Initiates a Network Connection to GitHub

Synopsis

Field	Value
Activation Period	14 Days
Training Period	30 Days
Test Period	N/A (single event)
Deduplication Period	1 Day
Required Data	Palo Alto Networks Url Logs
ATT&CK Tactic	Execution (TA0002)
ATT&CK Technique	Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell (T1059.001)
Severity	Low

Description

PowerShell initiates a Network Connection to GitHub with an uncommon command line. This may have legitimate uses, but this technique is frequently used by attackers to serve malicious payloads.

Attacker's Goals

Download a second stage payload for execution.

Investigative actions

• Check if the initiator process is malicious.
• Check for additional file/network operations by the same PowerShell instance.

Variations

PowerShell Initiates a Network Connection to GitHub from a sensitive server

Synopsis

Field	Value
ATT&CK Tactic	Execution (TA0002)
ATT&CK Technique	Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell (T1059.001)
Severity	Medium

Description

PowerShell initiates a Network Connection to GitHub with an uncommon command line. This may have legitimate uses, but this technique is frequently used by attackers to serve malicious payloads.

Attacker's Goals

Download a second stage payload for execution.

Investigative actions

• Check if the initiator process is malicious.
• Check for additional file/network operations by the same PowerShell instance.