How to Traverse Nested JSON Structures in Splunk for Process Event Analysis

[snowywar]

This is my JSON data. How should I write a query syntax to directly traverse to the last parentProcess, and then provide the complete process chain?
Like This

time	username	processInfo	processInfo.pid	processChain
2024-03-07T07:46:27Z	randomuser:staff	bash	51097	/bin/bash -c pmset -g batt ← %APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess1.app/contents/macos/randomprocess1 /Applications/RandomProcess1.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess1 -runMode autoLaunched ← %APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess2.app/contents/macos/randomprocess2 /Applications/RandomProcess2.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess2 -runMode autoLaunched ← /sbin/launchd ← /sbin/launchd ← kernel_task ← kernel_task

I dont know how to search.....please help me ,Thank you!!,

This is my json data

{
  "timestamp": "2024-03-07T07:46:27Z",
  "eventName": "ProcessEvent",
  "computer": {
    "name": "randomMacBook-Pro.local",
    "uuid": "9b85f341-3a24-4f70-a371-8863f8a72f1c"
  },
  "processInfo": {
    "imageName": "bash",
    "pid": 51097,
    "systemProcess": false,
    "imagePath": "/bin/bash",
    "commandLine": "-c pmset -g batt",
    "exeHash": {
      "sha1": "87FD78930606102F09D607FC7305996CEFA6E028",
      "sha256": null
    },
    "sid": "",
    "username": "randomuser:staff",
    "sidNameUse": 0,
    "startTime": "2024-03-07T07:46:27Z",
    "currentDirPath": "/",
    "isCompromised": false,
    "lnkPath": "",
    "parentProcess": {
      "imageName": "randomprocess1",
      "pid": 51097,
      "systemProcess": false,
      "imagePath": "%APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess1.app/contents/macos/randomprocess1",
      "commandLine": "/Applications/RandomProcess1.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess1 -runMode autoLaunched",
      "exeHash": {
        "sha1": "E31C5F2840F47A094D58A181586B802FA8531C7E",
        "sha256": null
      },
      "sid": "",
      "username": "randomuser:staff",
      "sidNameUse": 0,
      "startTime": "2024-03-07T07:46:27Z",
      "currentDirPath": "/",
      "isCompromised": false,
      "lnkPath": "",
      "parentProcess": {
        "imageName": "randomprocess2",
        "pid": 603,
        "systemProcess": false,
        "imagePath": "%APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess2.app/contents/macos/randomprocess2",
        "commandLine": "/Applications/RandomProcess2.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess2 -runMode autoLaunched",
        "exeHash": {
          "sha1": "E31C5F2840F47A094D58A181586B802FA8531C7E",
          "sha256": null
        },
        "sid": "",
        "username": "randomuser:staff",
        "sidNameUse": 0,
        "startTime": "2024-03-01T08:02:32Z",
        "currentDirPath": "/",
        "isCompromised": false,
        "lnkPath": "",
        "parentProcess": {
          "imageName": "launchd",
          "pid": 603,
          "systemProcess": false,
          "imagePath": "/sbin/launchd",
          "commandLine": "",
          "exeHash": {
            "sha1": "AA7A8F25AE7BE3BFF0DB33A8FB0D0C49361D1176",
            "sha256": null
          },
          "sid": "",
          "username": "root:wheel",
          "sidNameUse": 0,
          "startTime": "2024-03-01T08:02:32Z",
          "currentDirPath": "/",
          "isCompromised": false,
          "lnkPath": "",
          "parentProcess": {
            "imageName": "launchd",
            "pid": 1,
            "systemProcess": false,
            "imagePath": "/sbin/launchd",
            "commandLine": "",
            "exeHash": {
              "sha1": "AA7A8F25AE7BE3BFF0DB33A8FB0D0C49361D1176",
              "sha256": null
            },
            "sid": "",
            "username": "root:wheel",
            "sidNameUse": 0,
            "startTime": "2024-03-01T07:57:30Z",
            "currentDirPath": "/",
            "isCompromised": false,
            "lnkPath": "",
            "parentProcess": {
              "imageName": "kernel_task",
              "pid": 1,
              "systemProcess": true,
              "imagePath": "kernel_task",
              "commandLine": "",
              "exeHash": {
                "sha1": "24BF148FA83C8A5D908C33954B5CA91A5E4E3659",
                "sha256": null
              },
              "sid": "",
              "username": "root:wheel",
              "sidNameUse": 0,
              "startTime": "2024-02-27T10:17:35Z",
              "currentDirPath": "",
              "isCompromised": false,
              "lnkPath": "",
              "parentProcess": {
                "imageName": "kernel_task",
                "pid": 0,
                "systemProcess": true,
                "imagePath": "kernel_task",
                "commandLine": "",
                "exeHash": {
                  "sha1": "24BF148FA83C8A5D908C33954B5CA91A5E4E3659",
                  "sha256": null
                },
                "sid": "",
                "username": "root:wheel",
                "sidNameUse": 0,
                "startTime": "2024-02-27T10:17:35Z",
                "currentDirPath": "",
                "isCompromised": false,
                "lnkPath": ""
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "eventType": "Process/PosixExec"
}

[ITWhisperer · Accepted solution]

Try something like this:

| makeresults
| fields - _time
| eval _raw="{
  \"timestamp\": \"2024-03-07T07:46:27Z\",
  \"eventName\": \"ProcessEvent\",
  \"computer\": {
    \"name\": \"randomMacBook-Pro.local\",
    \"uuid\": \"9b85f341-3a24-4f70-a371-8863f8a72f1c\"
  },
  \"processInfo\": {
    \"imageName\": \"bash\",
    \"pid\": 51097,
    \"systemProcess\": false,
    \"imagePath\": \"/bin/bash\",
    \"commandLine\": \"-c pmset -g batt\",
    \"exeHash\": {
      \"sha1\": \"87FD78930606102F09D607FC7305996CEFA6E028\",
      \"sha256\": null
    },
    \"sid\": \"\",
    \"username\": \"randomuser:staff\",
    \"sidNameUse\": 0,
    \"startTime\": \"2024-03-07T07:46:27Z\",
    \"currentDirPath\": \"/\",
    \"isCompromised\": false,
    \"lnkPath\": \"\",
    \"parentProcess\": {
      \"imageName\": \"randomprocess1\",
      \"pid\": 51097,
      \"systemProcess\": false,
      \"imagePath\": \"%APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess1.app/contents/macos/randomprocess1\",
      \"commandLine\": \"/Applications/RandomProcess1.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess1 -runMode autoLaunched\",
      \"exeHash\": {
        \"sha1\": \"E31C5F2840F47A094D58A181586B802FA8531C7E\",
        \"sha256\": null
      },
      \"sid\": \"\",
      \"username\": \"randomuser:staff\",
      \"sidNameUse\": 0,
      \"startTime\": \"2024-03-07T07:46:27Z\",
      \"currentDirPath\": \"/\",
      \"isCompromised\": false,
      \"lnkPath\": \"\",
      \"parentProcess\": {
        \"imageName\": \"randomprocess2\",
        \"pid\": 603,
        \"systemProcess\": false,
        \"imagePath\": \"%APPLICATIONS%/randomprocess2.app/contents/macos/randomprocess2\",
        \"commandLine\": \"/Applications/RandomProcess2.app/Contents/MacOS/RandomProcess2 -runMode autoLaunched\",
        \"exeHash\": {
          \"sha1\": \"E31C5F2840F47A094D58A181586B802FA8531C7E\",
          \"sha256\": null
        },
        \"sid\": \"\",
        \"username\": \"randomuser:staff\",
        \"sidNameUse\": 0,
        \"startTime\": \"2024-03-01T08:02:32Z\",
        \"currentDirPath\": \"/\",
        \"isCompromised\": false,
        \"lnkPath\": \"\",
        \"parentProcess\": {
          \"imageName\": \"launchd\",
          \"pid\": 603,
          \"systemProcess\": false,
          \"imagePath\": \"/sbin/launchd\",
          \"commandLine\": \"\",
          \"exeHash\": {
            \"sha1\": \"AA7A8F25AE7BE3BFF0DB33A8FB0D0C49361D1176\",
            \"sha256\": null
          },
          \"sid\": \"\",
          \"username\": \"root:wheel\",
          \"sidNameUse\": 0,
          \"startTime\": \"2024-03-01T08:02:32Z\",
          \"currentDirPath\": \"/\",
          \"isCompromised\": false,
          \"lnkPath\": \"\",
          \"parentProcess\": {
            \"imageName\": \"launchd\",
            \"pid\": 1,
            \"systemProcess\": false,
            \"imagePath\": \"/sbin/launchd\",
            \"commandLine\": \"\",
            \"exeHash\": {
              \"sha1\": \"AA7A8F25AE7BE3BFF0DB33A8FB0D0C49361D1176\",
              \"sha256\": null
            },
            \"sid\": \"\",
            \"username\": \"root:wheel\",
            \"sidNameUse\": 0,
            \"startTime\": \"2024-03-01T07:57:30Z\",
            \"currentDirPath\": \"/\",
            \"isCompromised\": false,
            \"lnkPath\": \"\",
            \"parentProcess\": {
              \"imageName\": \"kernel_task\",
              \"pid\": 1,
              \"systemProcess\": true,
              \"imagePath\": \"kernel_task\",
              \"commandLine\": \"\",
              \"exeHash\": {
                \"sha1\": \"24BF148FA83C8A5D908C33954B5CA91A5E4E3659\",
                \"sha256\": null
              },
              \"sid\": \"\",
              \"username\": \"root:wheel\",
              \"sidNameUse\": 0,
              \"startTime\": \"2024-02-27T10:17:35Z\",
              \"currentDirPath\": \"\",
              \"isCompromised\": false,
              \"lnkPath\": \"\",
              \"parentProcess\": {
                \"imageName\": \"kernel_task\",
                \"pid\": 0,
                \"systemProcess\": true,
                \"imagePath\": \"kernel_task\",
                \"commandLine\": \"\",
                \"exeHash\": {
                  \"sha1\": \"24BF148FA83C8A5D908C33954B5CA91A5E4E3659\",
                  \"sha256\": null
                },
                \"sid\": \"\",
                \"username\": \"root:wheel\",
                \"sidNameUse\": 0,
                \"startTime\": \"2024-02-27T10:17:35Z\",
                \"currentDirPath\": \"\",
                \"isCompromised\": false,
                \"lnkPath\": \"\"
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  },
  \"eventType\": \"Process/PosixExec\"
}"
| spath
| eval processChain='processInfo.imagePath'." ".'processInfo.commandLine'
| foreach processInfo*.parentProcess.imagePath
    [| eval processChain=mvappend(processChain,'<<FIELD>>'." ".'processInfo<<MATCHSEG1>>.parentProcess.commandLine')]

You end up with a multi-value field which you can use mvjoin to format as you wish

[snowywar]

You are genius！，thank you!!!