Pros of rules

• Larger collection of YARA rules, covering a wider range of threats
• More frequent updates and contributions from the community
• Organized into categories, making it easier to find specific types of rules

Cons of rules

• Less curated, potentially leading to more false positives
• May include outdated or less reliable rules
• Lacks some of the additional tools and scripts found in signature-base

Code Comparison

signature-base example:

rule SUSP_LNK_SmallImageSize_June23 {
    meta:
        description = "Detects suspicious LNK files with small icon image sizes"
        author = "Florian Roth"
        date = "2023-06-05"
    condition:
        uint32(0x0) == 0x0000004c and uint32(0x4c) < 0x100
}

rules example:

rule MALWARE_Win_Havoc {
    meta:
        author = "ditekSHen"
        description = "Detects Havoc C2"
    strings:
        $s1 = "havoc.x64.dll" fullword ascii
        $s2 = "havoc.x86.dll" fullword ascii
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and all of them
}

Both repositories provide valuable YARA rules for threat detection, but they differ in scope and curation. signature-base offers a more focused set of rules with additional tools, while rules provides a larger, community-driven collection covering a broader range of threats.

Pros of malware-ioc

• Focuses specifically on malware Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
• Provides IoCs in multiple formats (MISP, STIX, etc.)
• Regular updates from ESET's malware research team

Cons of malware-ioc

• Narrower scope, primarily focused on malware-related IoCs
• Less comprehensive detection rules compared to signature-base
• May require additional processing to integrate with some security tools

Code Comparison

signature-base example (YARA rule):

rule SUSP_LNK_SmallFile_with_PDFMagic {
   meta:
      description = "Detects suspicous LNK file with PDF magic header"
   strings:
      $s1 = { 4C 00 00 00 01 14 02 00 00 00 00 00 C0 00 00 00 }
      $s2 = "%PDF-"
   condition:
      uint32(0) == 0x0000004c and filesize < 1KB and all of them
}

malware-ioc example (STIX format):

<stix:STIX_Package>
  <stix:Indicators>
    <stix:Indicator>
      <indicator:Type>File Hash Watchlist</indicator:Type>
      <indicator:Observable>
        <cybox:Object>
          <cybox:Properties xsi:type="FileObj:FileObjectType">
            <FileObj:Hashes>
              <cyboxCommon:Hash>
                <cyboxCommon:Type>MD5</cyboxCommon:Type>
                <cyboxCommon:Simple_Hash_Value>a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6</cyboxCommon:Simple_Hash_Value>
              </cyboxCommon:Hash>
            </FileObj:Hashes>
          </cybox:Properties>
        </cybox:Object>
      </indicator:Observable>
    </stix:Indicator>
  </stix:Indicators>
</stix:STIX_Package>

Pros of red_team_tool_countermeasures

• Focuses specifically on countermeasures against red team tools, providing targeted defense strategies
• Includes YARA rules and IOCs for detecting specific red team tools and techniques
• Regularly updated with new countermeasures as new red team tools emerge

Cons of red_team_tool_countermeasures

• Narrower scope compared to signature-base, which covers a broader range of threats
• May require more frequent updates to stay relevant against evolving red team tactics
• Less comprehensive coverage of general malware and threat detection

Code Comparison

signature-base YARA rule example:

rule SUSP_LNK_SmallImageSize {
   meta:
      description = "Detects a suspicious LNK file with a small image size"
      author = "Florian Roth"
   strings:
      $s1 = "\\RECYCLER\\" wide
   condition:
      uint16(0) == 0x004c and
      filesize < 1KB and
      $s1
}

red_team_tool_countermeasures YARA rule example:

rule Backdoor_Win_REDFLARE_1
{
    meta:
        description = "Detects REDFLARE backdoor"
    strings:
        $s1 = "initialize" fullword
        $s2 = "runCommand" fullword
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and
        filesize < 1000KB and
        all of them
}

Both repositories provide valuable YARA rules for threat detection, but red_team_tool_countermeasures focuses more on specific red team tools, while signature-base offers a broader range of detection capabilities.