4688 - Process Created

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4688

Event ID 4688 in the Windows Security Event Log marks the creation of a new process, a crucial event for monitoring and auditing system activity. This event is part of the "Audit Process Creation" category and is instrumental in security monitoring, providing visibility into the execution of programs and scripts across the system. By analyzing these events, security professionals can identify potential malicious activities, track application usage, and investigate incidents.

Generated by the Windows Security subsystem when a new process has been created, assuming "Audit Process Creation" is enabled in the security policy.

Category: Audit Process Creation

Significance:

• Security Implications: The creation of new processes is a common occurrence in Windows environments; however, monitoring these events can help detect unauthorized or malicious software execution, potentially indicating a breach or misuse. It is particularly useful for identifying the execution of malware, unauthorized applications, and scripts.

• Operational Insights: Beyond security, Event ID 4688 can offer insights into application usage patterns, helping with system optimization and troubleshooting.

Details Included in Event ID 4688

• New Process ID: A unique identifier for the newly created process.

• New Process Name: Full path of the executable for the new process.

• Token Elevation Type: Indicates the type of token that was assigned to the new process (e.g., TokenElevationTypeDefault, TokenElevationTypeFull).

• Creator Process ID: The ID of the process that initiated the creation of the new process.

• Creator Process Name: Full path of the executable of the creator process.

• Process Command Line: The command line string used to create the new process. This is especially valuable for forensic analysis, as it may contain indicators of malicious intent or detail the specific actions being performed by a process.

• Token Elevation Type: This field is particularly important for understanding the privilege context in which the process was started, especially useful for identifying potential privilege escalation techniques.

Note: The visibility of the "Process Command Line" information may depend on additional audit policy configuration and system settings.

How to Use Event ID 4688 for Security

Monitoring and Alerting: Configuring alerts based on unusual or unexpected process creation patterns can serve as early indicators of a security issue. Monitoring for known malicious executables or unusual command-line arguments is particularly effective.

Forensic Analysis: In the context of an incident response, Event ID 4688 entries are invaluable for reconstructing the sequence of events leading up to and following a security incident, offering a detailed view of attacker actions.

Behavioral Analysis: Analyzing the command lines and process chains can help in identifying malicious behavior patterns, such as processes that launch PowerShell with suspicious parameters or applications that should not be initiating certain processes.

Best Practices for Monitoring Event ID 4688

• Enable Command Line Logging: Ensure that your audit policy settings include command line logging for process creation events to capture the full context of executed processes.

• Use Context for Analysis: When analyzing Event ID 4688, consider the context, such as the time of day, the reputation of the executable, and the account under which the process was created, to differentiate between legitimate and suspicious activities.

• Integrate with SIEM: Forwarding these events to a SIEM system can allow for real-time analysis and correlation with other security events, enhancing the detection of complex attack patterns.

• Baseline Normal Activity: Establish a baseline of normal process creation activity to help identify deviations that could indicate malicious activity or unauthorized software usage.

Limitations

While Event ID 4688 provides detailed information on process creation, interpreting this data effectively requires understanding normal system and application behavior. High volumes of process creation events in active environments can lead to information overload, necessitating the use of advanced tools and techniques for effective analysis and alerting.