Outlook Rules (T1137.005)

Tactic: Persistence

Tactics: Persistence
Platforms: Windows, Office Suite
Reference: attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1137.005

Description

Adversaries may abuse Microsoft Outlook rules to obtain persistence on a compromised system. Outlook rules allow a user to define automated behavior to manage email messages. A benign rule might, for example, automatically move an email to a particular folder in Outlook if it contains specific words from a specific sender. Malicious Outlook rules can be created that can trigger code execution when an adversary sends a specifically crafted email to that user.(Citation: SilentBreak Outlook Rules)

Once malicious rules have been added to the user’s mailbox, they will be loaded when Outlook is started. Malicious rules will execute when an adversary sends a specifically crafted email to the user.(Citation: SilentBreak Outlook Rules)

How GTK Cyber trains on this

GTK Cyber's Threat Hunting with Data Science course teaches you to build machine-learning detections for techniques like this across the MITRE ATT&CK framework, including the Persistence tactic this technique falls under. Practitioner-led, focused on real detections, not memorizing technique IDs.

Threat Hunting with Data Science →·All training courses

Related techniques

Train your team to detect attacks like this.

GTK Cyber's Threat Hunting with Data Science course is taught by practitioners who detect this stuff for a living.

Explore Threat Hunting Training