Overview

The File Hash Search Agent is a specialized AI analyst built to automate and accelerate the process of sweeping your entire digital environment for known file hash Indicators of Compromise (IOCs). It eliminates the slow, error-prone, and incomplete nature of manual "swivel-chair" investigations, delivering comprehensive results in seconds.

This agent empowers security analysts of all skill levels to ask the simple, critical question—"Are we affected by this hash?"—and receive a fast, definitive, and organization-wide answer.

How It Works

The File Hash Search Agent combines a powerful AI reasoning engine with a set of specialized tools that interact directly with the Query Security Data Mesh. This allows an analyst to state their goal in natural language, which the agent then translates into a precise and optimized federated query.

Core Workflow:

1. Natural Language Understanding: The agent ingests a user's request, such as "Search for the file hash 123abcde... across all systems for the last 48 hours."
2. Schema Awareness: Before building a query, the agent intelligently consults the data schema to identify all relevant fields where file hashes are stored (e.g., file_activity.file.hashes.value, network_file_activity.file.hashes.value). It understands various hash algorithms (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, etc.) and can even search for a hash string when the algorithm is unknown.
3. Optimized Query Construction: Leveraging its built-in knowledge of the Federated Search Query Language (FSQL), the agent constructs the most efficient query to find the hash across all connected data sources.
4. Pre-flight Validation: Every query is rigorously validated for syntactic correctness before execution. This crucial step prevents failed searches and wasted time, ensuring every hunt is effective.
5. Federated Execution: The agent runs the validated query across the security data mesh, simultaneously searching all connected platforms without moving or duplicating data.
6. Consolidated Results: The agent returns a clear, consolidated answer, indicating whether the hash was found and providing all associated context, such as the event details, affected hosts, users, and a timeline of activity.

This entire process transforms a manual hunt that could take hours into an automated workflow that completes in under a minute.

Use Cases

The File Hash Search Agent is designed to support core Security Operations Center (SOC) workflows, dramatically improving efficiency and accuracy.

• Rapid CTI Triage: When a new threat intelligence report provides a malicious file hash, an analyst can immediately ask the agent to sweep the environment. This collapses the triage timeline from minutes or hours to seconds, allowing for rapid assessment of exposure.
• Incident Response Pivot: During an active investigation, if a malicious file is discovered on one system, the agent can instantly determine if that same file exists anywhere else in the organization. This provides an immediate understanding of the incident's scope, enabling faster containment.
• Proactive Threat Hunting: Threat hunters can use the agent to search for hashes found in technical blogs, articles, or other informal intelligence sources. Even if the hash algorithm isn't specified, the agent can construct a query to find it, turning ambiguous data into actionable intelligence.

Recommended Connectors

To achieve the most comprehensive search results, the File Hash Search Agent should be connected to data sources that observe file creation, modification, and execution events. The more diverse the connected sources, the higher the confidence in the search results.

Highly Recommended:

• Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Essential for visibility into file activity on workstations and servers. (e.g., CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne)
• Security Information & Event Management (SIEM): Aggregates logs from various sources, often containing file-related events. (e.g., Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar)
• Cloud Infrastructure & Storage: Critical for detecting malicious files in cloud environments. (e.g., AWS CloudTrail, Azure Monitor, Google Cloud Logging)
• Data Lake / Warehouse: Provides historical search capabilities across massive datasets. (e.g., Snowflake, Amazon S3, Google BigQuery)

Also Recommended:

• Network Security: For visibility into files traversing the network. (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet)
• Email Security: To detect malicious file attachments. (e.g., Proofpoint, Mimecast)

By connecting a broad range of these platforms to the Query Security Data Mesh, you empower the File Hash Search Agent to leave no stone unturned in its hunt for threats.