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Strelka Cheatsheet
Strelka is a real-time file scanning system designed for threat hunting, threat intelligence, and incident response. It performs file extraction and metadata collection at scale, enabling security teams to analyze suspicious files and identify potential threats through comprehensive file analysis and enrichment.
Installation and Setup
Docker Installation (Recommended)
Quick Start with Docker Compose:
bash
# Clone Strelka repository
git clone https://github.com/target/strelka.git
cd strelka
# Build and start services
docker-compose up -d
# Verify services are running
docker-compose ps
Custom Docker Compose:
yaml
version: '3.8'
services:
strelka-backend:
image: target/strelka:latest
container_name: strelka-backend
command: strelka-backend
volumes:
- ./configs/python/backend/backend.yaml:/etc/strelka/backend.yaml:ro
- ./configs/python/backend/logging.yaml:/etc/strelka/logging.yaml:ro
ports:
- "57314:57314"
networks:
- strelka-net
strelka-frontend:
image: target/strelka:latest
container_name: strelka-frontend
command: strelka-frontend
volumes:
- ./configs/python/frontend/frontend.yaml:/etc/strelka/frontend.yaml:ro
- ./configs/python/frontend/logging.yaml:/etc/strelka/logging.yaml:ro
- /tmp/strelka:/tmp/strelka
ports:
- "57413:57413"
depends_on:
- strelka-backend
networks:
- strelka-net
networks:
strelka-net:
driver: bridge
Native Installation
Ubuntu/Debian Installation:
bash
# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip python3-dev
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential libssl-dev libffi-dev
sudo apt-get install -y yara libyara-dev
# Install Python dependencies
pip3 install --upgrade pip
pip3 install strelka-scanner
# Install additional analysis tools
sudo apt-get install -y file binwalk exiftool
sudo apt-get install -y upx-ucl unrar-free p7zip-full
CentOS/RHEL Installation:
bash
# Install EPEL repository
sudo yum install -y epel-release
# Install dependencies
sudo yum groupinstall -y "Development Tools"
sudo yum install -y python3 python3-pip python3-devel
sudo yum install -y openssl-devel libffi-devel yara-devel
# Install Strelka
pip3 install strelka-scanner
# Install analysis tools
sudo yum install -y file binwalk perl-Image-ExifTool
sudo yum install -y upx unrar p7zip
Configuration
Backend Configuration
backend.yaml:
yaml
# Backend server configuration
server:
host: "0.0.0.0"
port: 57314
max_workers: 4
# Scanner configuration
scanners:
- name: "ScanEntropy"
priority: 5
- name: "ScanExiftool"
priority: 5
- name: "ScanFile"
priority: 5
- name: "ScanHash"
priority: 5
- name: "ScanHeader"
priority: 5
- name: "ScanPe"
priority: 5
options:
tmp_directory: "/tmp/strelka/"
- name: "ScanYara"
priority: 5
options:
location: "/etc/strelka/yara/"
# Taste configuration
taste:
- filename: ".*\\.exe$"
scanner: "ScanPe"
- filename: ".*\\.dll$"
scanner: "ScanPe"
- mime: "application/pdf"
scanner: "ScanPdf"
- mime: "application/zip"
scanner: "ScanZip"
Frontend Configuration
frontend.yaml:
yaml
# Frontend server configuration
server:
host: "0.0.0.0"
port: 57413
# Backend connection
backend:
host: "strelka-backend"
port: 57314
# Request limits
limits:
max_file_size: 268435456 # 256MB
time_to_live: 60
max_files_per_request: 100
# Response configuration
response:
log_extracted_files: true
log_thumbnails: false
Scanner Configuration
Custom Scanner Options:
yaml
# YARA scanner configuration
ScanYara:
options:
location: "/etc/strelka/yara/"
compiled_rules: true
timeout: 60
# PE scanner configuration
ScanPe:
options:
tmp_directory: "/tmp/strelka/"
extract_resources: true
extract_overlay: true
# ZIP scanner configuration
ScanZip:
options:
limit: 1000
password_file: "/etc/strelka/passwords.txt"
# PDF scanner configuration
ScanPdf:
options:
extract_text: true
limit: 2000
Command Line Usage
Basic File Scanning
Scan Single File:
bash
# Scan a file
strelka-oneshot /path/to/suspicious_file.exe
# Scan with specific backend
strelka-oneshot --backend localhost:57314 /path/to/file.pdf
# Scan with JSON output
strelka-oneshot --json /path/to/malware.zip
Scan Multiple Files:
bash
# Scan directory
find /path/to/files -type f -exec strelka-oneshot {} \;
# Scan with parallel processing
find /path/to/files -type f | xargs -P 4 -I {} strelka-oneshot {}
# Scan specific file types
find /path/to/files -name "*.exe" -exec strelka-oneshot {} \;
Batch Processing
Directory Scanning:
bash
# Scan entire directory
strelka-dirstream --backend localhost:57314 /path/to/directory
# Scan with file filtering
strelka-dirstream --patterns "*.exe,*.dll,*.pdf" /path/to/directory
# Scan with output to file
strelka-dirstream /path/to/directory > scan_results.json
Network Streaming:
bash
# Stream files from network share
strelka-dirstream --backend remote-backend:57314 //server/share/files
# Stream with authentication
strelka-dirstream --username user --password pass //server/share
API Usage
REST API
Submit File for Analysis:
bash
# Submit single file
curl -X POST \
-F "file=@suspicious_file.exe" \
http://localhost:57413/scan
# Submit with metadata
curl -X POST \
-F "file=@malware.zip" \
-F "source=email_attachment" \
-F "filename=attachment.zip" \
http://localhost:57413/scan
Bulk File Submission:
bash
# Submit multiple files
curl -X POST \
-F "file1=@file1.exe" \
-F "file2=@file2.dll" \
-F "file3=@file3.pdf" \
http://localhost:57413/scan
Python API
Basic Python Usage:
python
import requests
import json
# Submit file for scanning
def scan_file(file_path, strelka_url="http://localhost:57413"):
with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
files = {'file': f}
response = requests.post(f"{strelka_url}/scan", files=files)
return response.json()
# Scan file and parse results
result = scan_file("/path/to/suspicious_file.exe")
print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
Advanced Python Integration:
python
import requests
import json
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
class StrelkaClient:
def __init__(self, base_url="http://localhost:57413"):
self.base_url = base_url
def scan_file(self, file_path, metadata=None):
"""Scan a single file with optional metadata"""
with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
files = {'file': f}
data = metadata or {}
response = requests.post(f"{self.base_url}/scan",
files=files, data=data)
return response.json()
def scan_directory(self, directory_path, extensions=None):
"""Scan all files in a directory"""
results = []
path = Path(directory_path)
for file_path in path.rglob('*'):
if file_path.is_file():
if extensions and file_path.suffix not in extensions:
continue
try:
result = self.scan_file(file_path)
results.append({
'file_path': str(file_path),
'scan_result': result
})
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error scanning {file_path}: {e}")
return results
def get_file_hash(self, file_path):
"""Calculate file hash"""
sha256_hash = hashlib.sha256()
with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(4096), b""):
sha256_hash.update(chunk)
return sha256_hash.hexdigest()
# Usage example
client = StrelkaClient()
result = client.scan_file("/path/to/malware.exe",
metadata={"source": "email", "priority": "high"})
Scanner Modules
File Analysis Scanners
ScanFile - File Type Detection:
python
# Identifies file types and MIME types
# Output includes:
{
"file": {
"flavors": {
"mime": ["application/x-executable"],
"yara": ["pe_file"]
},
"size": 1048576
}
}
ScanHash - Hash Calculation:
python
# Calculates multiple hash types
# Output includes:
{
"hash": {
"md5": "d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e",
"sha1": "da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709",
"sha256": "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855",
"ssdeep": "3::"
}
}
ScanEntropy - Entropy Analysis:
python
# Analyzes file entropy for packing detection
# Output includes:
{
"entropy": {
"entropy": 7.8,
"packed": true,
"sections": [
{"name": ".text", "entropy": 6.2},
{"name": ".data", "entropy": 7.9}
]
}
}
Executable Analysis
ScanPe - PE File Analysis:
python
# Comprehensive PE file analysis
# Output includes:
{
"pe": {
"imphash": "f34d5f2d4577ed6d9ceec516c1f5a744",
"compile_time": "2023-01-15T10:30:00",
"sections": [
{
"name": ".text",
"virtual_address": "0x1000",
"virtual_size": 65536,
"raw_size": 65536,
"entropy": 6.2,
"md5": "abc123..."
}
],
"imports": [
{
"library": "kernel32.dll",
"functions": ["CreateFileA", "ReadFile", "WriteFile"]
}
],
"exports": [],
"resources": [
{
"type": "RT_VERSION",
"language": "LANG_ENGLISH",
"size": 1024
}
]
}
}
Archive Analysis
ScanZip - ZIP Archive Analysis:
python
# Analyzes ZIP archives and extracts metadata
# Output includes:
{
"zip": {
"total_files": 5,
"extracted_files": 3,
"files": [
{
"filename": "document.pdf",
"size": 1048576,
"compressed_size": 524288,
"crc32": "0x12345678",
"modified_time": "2023-01-15T10:30:00"
}
],
"password_protected": false
}
}
Document Analysis
ScanPdf - PDF Analysis:
python
# Analyzes PDF documents for threats
# Output includes:
{
"pdf": {
"total_pages": 10,
"author": "Unknown",
"creator": "Microsoft Word",
"producer": "Adobe PDF Library",
"creation_date": "2023-01-15T10:30:00",
"javascript": true,
"embedded_files": 2,
"forms": false,
"suspicious_elements": [
"JavaScript code detected",
"Embedded executable"
]
}
}
YARA Integration
YARA Rules Configuration
Custom YARA Rules:
yara
rule Suspicious_PE_Characteristics
{
meta:
description = "Detects suspicious PE characteristics"
author = "Security Team"
date = "2023-01-15"
strings:
$mz = { 4D 5A }
$pe = "PE\x00\x00"
condition:
$mz at 0 and $pe and
(
pe.number_of_sections < 3 or
pe.number_of_sections > 10 or
pe.entry_point < pe.sections[0].virtual_address
)
}
rule Packed_Executable
{
meta:
description = "Detects packed executables"
condition:
pe.is_pe and
(
pe.sections[0].name contains "UPX" or
pe.sections[0].name contains ".aspack" or
pe.sections[0].name contains ".rlpack"
)
}
YARA Rules Directory Structure:
bash
/etc/strelka/yara/
├── malware/
│ ├── apt.yar
│ ├── ransomware.yar
│ └── trojans.yar
├── packers/
│ ├── upx.yar
│ ├── aspack.yar
│ └── themida.yar
└── general/
├── suspicious.yar
└── crypto.yar
Compiled YARA Rules
Compile YARA Rules:
bash
# Compile individual rule file
yarac /etc/strelka/yara/malware/apt.yar /etc/strelka/yara/compiled/apt.yarc
# Compile all rules in directory
find /etc/strelka/yara -name "*.yar" -exec yarac {} {}.compiled \;
# Compile rules with includes
yarac -d include_dir=/etc/strelka/yara/includes rules.yar rules.yarc
Integration Examples
ELK Stack Integration
Logstash Configuration:
ruby
input {
file {
path => "/var/log/strelka/strelka.log"
codec => json
start_position => "beginning"
}
}
filter {
if [event][scanner] == "ScanYara" {
mutate {
add_tag => ["yara_match"]
}
}
if [event][scanner] == "ScanPe" {
mutate {
add_tag => ["pe_analysis"]
}
}
date {
match => [ "time", "ISO8601" ]
}
}
output {
elasticsearch {
hosts => ["localhost:9200"]
index => "strelka-%{+YYYY.MM.dd}"
}
}
MISP Integration
MISP Attribute Creation:
python
import requests
import json
from pymisp import PyMISP
def create_misp_event(strelka_result, misp_url, misp_key):
"""Create MISP event from Strelka scan results"""
misp = PyMISP(misp_url, misp_key, ssl=False)
# Create new event
event = misp.new_event(
distribution=0,
threat_level_id=2,
analysis=1,
info=f"Strelka Analysis: {strelka_result.get('filename', 'Unknown')}"
)
# Add file hash attributes
if 'hash' in strelka_result:
hashes = strelka_result['hash']
for hash_type, hash_value in hashes.items():
misp.add_attribute(event, hash_type, hash_value)
# Add YARA matches
if 'yara' in strelka_result:
for match in strelka_result['yara']['matches']:
misp.add_attribute(event, 'yara', match['rule'])
# Add PE information
if 'pe' in strelka_result:
pe_info = strelka_result['pe']
if 'imphash' in pe_info:
misp.add_attribute(event, 'imphash', pe_info['imphash'])
return event
Threat Intelligence Enrichment
VirusTotal Integration:
python
import requests
import time
def enrich_with_virustotal(file_hash, vt_api_key):
"""Enrich Strelka results with VirusTotal data"""
url = f"https://www.virustotal.com/vtapi/v2/file/report"
params = {
'apikey': vt_api_key,
'resource': file_hash
}
response = requests.get(url, params=params)
if response.status_code == 200:
return response.json()
return None
def process_strelka_results(strelka_result, vt_api_key):
"""Process Strelka results with threat intelligence"""
enriched_result = strelka_result.copy()
# Get file hash
if 'hash' in strelka_result and 'sha256' in strelka_result['hash']:
sha256 = strelka_result['hash']['sha256']
# Enrich with VirusTotal
vt_result = enrich_with_virustotal(sha256, vt_api_key)
if vt_result:
enriched_result['virustotal'] = vt_result
# Add threat score
threat_score = calculate_threat_score(strelka_result, vt_result)
enriched_result['threat_score'] = threat_score
return enriched_result
def calculate_threat_score(strelka_result, vt_result):
"""Calculate threat score based on analysis results"""
score = 0
# YARA matches
if 'yara' in strelka_result:
score += len(strelka_result['yara']['matches']) * 10
# Entropy analysis
if 'entropy' in strelka_result:
if strelka_result['entropy'].get('packed', False):
score += 20
# VirusTotal detections
if vt_result and vt_result.get('positives', 0) > 0:
score += vt_result['positives'] * 5
return min(score, 100) # Cap at 100
Monitoring and Alerting
Performance Monitoring
System Metrics:
bash
# Monitor Strelka processes
ps aux | grep strelka
# Check memory usage
free -h
cat /proc/meminfo | grep -E "(MemTotal|MemFree|MemAvailable)"
# Monitor disk usage
df -h /tmp/strelka
du -sh /tmp/strelka/*
# Network connections
netstat -tulpn | grep -E "(57314|57413)"
Application Metrics:
bash
# Check backend status
curl -s http://localhost:57314/health
# Check frontend status
curl -s http://localhost:57413/health
# Monitor scan queue
curl -s http://localhost:57413/stats | jq '.queue_size'
# Check scan performance
curl -s http://localhost:57413/metrics
Alerting Configuration
Prometheus Metrics:
yaml
# prometheus.yml
scrape_configs:
- job_name: 'strelka'
static_configs:
- targets: ['localhost:57413']
metrics_path: '/metrics'
scrape_interval: 30s
Alert Rules:
yaml
# strelka_alerts.yml
groups:
- name: strelka
rules:
- alert: StrelkaHighQueueSize
expr: strelka_queue_size > 100
for: 5m
labels:
severity: warning
annotations:
summary: "Strelka queue size is high"
- alert: StrelkaBackendDown
expr: up{job="strelka"} == 0
for: 1m
labels:
severity: critical
annotations:
summary: "Strelka backend is down"
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Service Not Starting:
bash
# Check Docker containers
docker-compose ps
docker-compose logs strelka-backend
docker-compose logs strelka-frontend
# Check configuration files
strelka-backend --config /etc/strelka/backend.yaml --validate
strelka-frontend --config /etc/strelka/frontend.yaml --validate
# Check file permissions
ls -la /etc/strelka/
ls -la /tmp/strelka/
Scanning Issues:
bash
# Test backend connectivity
telnet localhost 57314
# Test frontend API
curl -v http://localhost:57413/health
# Check scanner modules
strelka-oneshot --list-scanners
# Debug scanning
strelka-oneshot --debug /path/to/test_file
Performance Issues:
bash
# Monitor resource usage
top -p $(pgrep -f strelka)
iostat -x 1
# Check scan times
grep "scan_time" /var/log/strelka/strelka.log
# Analyze slow scans
grep "timeout" /var/log/strelka/strelka.log
Log Analysis
Debug Logging:
yaml
# logging.yaml
version: 1
formatters:
simple:
format: '%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s'
handlers:
console:
class: logging.StreamHandler
level: DEBUG
formatter: simple
loggers:
strelka:
level: DEBUG
handlers: [console]
Log Monitoring:
bash
# Monitor real-time logs
tail -f /var/log/strelka/strelka.log
# Search for errors
grep -i error /var/log/strelka/strelka.log
# Analyze scan statistics
grep "scan_time" /var/log/strelka/strelka.log | awk '{print $NF}' | sort -n
This comprehensive Strelka cheatsheet covers installation, configuration, scanning operations, and advanced integration for effective file analysis and threat detection.