Suspicious DNS Zone Export via dnscmd for Reconnaissance
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-08-24
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
ReconResource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects use of dnscmd with the zone export option to dump an Active Directory DNS zone to a file, a reconnaissance technique used by the Karakurt extortion actor to enumerate internal hosts and services. A full zone export gives an attacker a map of the environment to plan lateral movement and target high-value systems.
Reporting behind it
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
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