This detection identifies adversary activity linked to the Astaroth threat by monitoring specific Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) that signal potential compromise within the environment. SOC teams should proactively hunt for these signals in Azure Sentinel to rapidly identify and contain early-stage infections before they escalate into broader lateral movement or data exfiltration incidents.
Malware Family: Astaroth Total IOCs: 4 IOC Types: sha256_hash
| Type | Value | Threat Type | First Seen | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sha256_hash | 47d2908c4dd7f6f5eb4a8ef4306077b10315c44231f4bacd2bb811b245561911 | payload | 2026-09-02 | 50% |
| sha256_hash | a6044786991afdb9d42ceb350943987765a7d0e8537369b2092e3f019c0f63ca | payload | 2026-09-02 | 50% |
| sha256_hash | cc44782356cb0effc528a7ab22c19ab360a55ebbbe01feb0967031aa191c5869 | payload | 2026-09-02 | 50% |
| sha256_hash | f62a958faf0491b2b2803be2ee69b664b58e4a1261f64e8530cdc1a3ff666aa4 | payload | 2026-09-02 | 50% |
// Hunt for files matching known malicious hashes
// Source: ThreatFox - Astaroth
let malicious_hashes = dynamic(["47d2908c4dd7f6f5eb4a8ef4306077b10315c44231f4bacd2bb811b245561911", "a6044786991afdb9d42ceb350943987765a7d0e8537369b2092e3f019c0f63ca", "cc44782356cb0effc528a7ab22c19ab360a55ebbbe01feb0967031aa191c5869", "f62a958faf0491b2b2803be2ee69b664b58e4a1261f64e8530cdc1a3ff666aa4"]);
DeviceFileEvents
| where SHA256 in (malicious_hashes) or SHA1 in (malicious_hashes) or MD5 in (malicious_hashes)
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, FileName, FolderPath, SHA256, InitiatingProcessFileName
| order by Timestamp desc| Sentinel Table | Notes |
|---|---|
DeviceFileEvents | Ensure this data connector is enabled |
Here are 5 specific false positive scenarios for the ThreatFox: Astaroth IOCs detection rule, along with targeted filters and exclusions:
Scenario: Scheduled Antivirus Definition Updates via Windows Update
wuauserv (Windows Update) service or a scheduled task (Microsoft-Windows-Update) frequently downloads definition files from Microsoft servers. If the Astaroth IOCs include hash values or network destinations that overlap with Microsoft’s update infrastructure, legitimate definition pulls may trigger alerts.ProcessName equals wuauclt.exe or usoc_dlc.exe and the parent process is svchost.exe. Additionally, filter out network connections to Microsoft-owned IP ranges (e.g., 13.x.x.x, 204.x.x.x) if the IOC involves outbound traffic.Scenario: Enterprise Backup Agent Execution
vrb.exe, acronis_agent.exe) that communicate with central management servers. If the Astaroth IOCs match the hash of a known backup agent binary or its communication port, routine backup jobs will generate false positives during their scheduled windows.\Program Files\Veeam\ or \Acronis\. Implement a time-based filter to suppress alerts during the defined maintenance window (e.g., 02:00 - 06:00) unless the event severity is “Critical.”Scenario: Deployment of Microsoft Office Updates via SCCM/Intune