Rule Library

Sigma Rules

1,585 rules found for "defense-evasion"

3,707Total
3,116Detection
451Emerging
137Hunting
Detectionhighexperimental

Scheduled Task Creation Masquerading as System Processes

Detects the creation of scheduled tasks that involve system processes, which may indicate malicious actors masquerading as or abusing these processes to execute payloads or maintain persistence.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0004 · Privilege EscalationTA0002 · ExecutionTA0003 · PersistenceT1053.005 · Scheduled Task+3
Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)Wed Feb 05windows
Detectionmediumtest

Sdclt Child Processes

A General detection for sdclt spawning new processes. This could be an indicator of sdclt being used for bypass UAC techniques.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0004 · Privilege EscalationT1548.002 · Bypass User Account Control
Roberto Rodriguez (Cyb3rWard0g)+1Sat May 02windows
Detectionhightest

Sdiagnhost Calling Suspicious Child Process

Detects sdiagnhost.exe calling a suspicious child process (e.g. used in exploits for Follina / CVE-2022-30190)

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036 · MasqueradingT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
kostastsaleWed Jun 01windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential Suspicious Activity Using SeCEdit

Detects potential suspicious behaviour using secedit.exe. Such as exporting or modifying the security policy

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0009 · CollectionTA0007 · DiscoveryTA0003 · PersistenceTA0005 · Defense Evasion+16
Janantha MarasingheFri Nov 18windows
Detectionhightest

Uncommon Child Process Of Setres.EXE

Detects uncommon child process of Setres.EXE. Setres.EXE is a Windows server only process and tool that can be used to set the screen resolution. It can potentially be abused in order to launch any arbitrary file with a name containing the word "choice" from the current execution path.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1218 · System Binary Proxy ExecutionT1202 · Indirect Command Execution
@gott_cyber+1Sun Dec 11windows
Detectionmediumtest

Setup16.EXE Execution With Custom .Lst File

Detects the execution of "Setup16.EXE" and old installation utility with a custom ".lst" file. These ".lst" file can contain references to external program that "Setup16.EXE" will execute. Attackers and adversaries might leverage this as a living of the land utility.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0004 · Privilege EscalationTA0003 · PersistenceTA0005 · Defense EvasionT1574.005 · Executable Installer File Permissions Weakness
François HubautSun Dec 01windows
Detectionmediumtest

Uncommon Sigverif.EXE Child Process

Detects uncommon child processes spawning from "sigverif.exe", which could indicate potential abuse of the latter as a living of the land binary in order to proxy execution.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1216 · System Script Proxy Execution
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)Fri Aug 19windows
Detectionhighexperimental

Suspicious Speech Runtime Binary Child Process

Detects suspicious Speech Runtime Binary Execution by monitoring its child processes. Child processes spawned by SpeechRuntime.exe could indicate an attempt for lateral movement via COM & DCOM hijacking.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0008 · Lateral MovementT1021.003 · Distributed Component Object ModelT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
andrewdanisThu Oct 23windows
Detectionhightest

Suspicious Splwow64 Without Params

Detects suspicious Splwow64.exe process without any command line parameters

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1202 · Indirect Command Execution
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)Mon Aug 23windows
Detectionmediumtest

Arbitrary File Download Via Squirrel.EXE

Detects the usage of the "Squirrel.exe" to download arbitrary files. This binary is part of multiple Electron based software installations (Slack, Teams, Discord, etc.)

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0002 · ExecutionT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)+3Thu Jun 09windows
Detectionmediumtest

Process Proxy Execution Via Squirrel.EXE

Detects the usage of the "Squirrel.exe" binary to execute arbitrary processes. This binary is part of multiple Electron based software installations (Slack, Teams, Discord, etc.)

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0002 · ExecutionT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)+3Thu Jun 09windows
Detectionmediumtest

Program Executed Using Proxy/Local Command Via SSH.EXE

Detect usage of the "ssh.exe" binary as a proxy to launch other programs.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
François Hubaut+1Thu Dec 29windows
Detectionhightest

Execution via stordiag.exe

Detects the use of stordiag.exe to execute schtasks.exe systeminfo.exe and fltmc.exe

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
Austin SongerThu Oct 21windows
Detectionmediumtest

Start of NT Virtual DOS Machine

Ntvdm.exe allows the execution of 16-bit Windows applications on 32-bit Windows operating systems, as well as the execution of both 16-bit and 32-bit DOS applications

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
François HubautSat Jul 16windows
Detectionhightest

Abused Debug Privilege by Arbitrary Parent Processes

Detection of unusual child processes by different system processes

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0004 · Privilege EscalationT1548 · Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
Semanur Guneysu+1Wed Oct 28windows
Detectionmediumtest

Execute From Alternate Data Streams

Detects execution from an Alternate Data Stream (ADS). Adversaries may use NTFS file attributes to hide their malicious data in order to evade detection

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1564.004 · NTFS File Attributes
François HubautWed Sep 01windows
Detectionmediumtest

Always Install Elevated Windows Installer

Detects Windows Installer service (msiexec.exe) trying to install MSI packages with SYSTEM privilege

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0004 · Privilege EscalationT1548.002 · Bypass User Account Control
Teymur Kheirkhabarov+2Tue Oct 13windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potentially Suspicious Windows App Activity

Detects potentially suspicious child process of applications launched from inside the WindowsApps directory. This could be a sign of a rogue ".appx" package installation/execution

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)Thu Jan 12windows
Detectionhightest

Bad Opsec Defaults Sacrificial Processes With Improper Arguments

Detects attackers using tooling with bad opsec defaults. E.g. spawning a sacrificial process to inject a capability into the process without taking into account how the process is normally run. One trivial example of this is using rundll32.exe without arguments as a sacrificial process (default in CS, now highlighted by c2lint), running WerFault without arguments (Kraken - credit am0nsec), and other examples.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1218.011 · Rundll32
Oleg Kolesnikov invrep_de+3Fri Oct 23windows
Detectionhightest

Suspicious Child Process Created as System

Detection of child processes spawned with SYSTEM privileges by parents with LOCAL SERVICE or NETWORK SERVICE accounts

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0004 · Privilege EscalationT1134.002 · Create Process with Token
Teymur Kheirkhabarov+2Sat Oct 26windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential Commandline Obfuscation Using Escape Characters

Detects potential commandline obfuscation using known escape characters

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1140 · Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
juju4Tue Dec 11windows
Detectionhightest

Potential CommandLine Obfuscation Using Unicode Characters From Suspicious Image

Detects potential commandline obfuscation using unicode characters. Adversaries may attempt to make an executable or file difficult to discover or analyze by encrypting, encoding, or otherwise obfuscating its contents on the system or in transit.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1027 · Obfuscated Files or Information
François Hubaut+2Mon Sep 02windows
Detectionhighexperimental

Suspicious Explorer Process with Whitespace Padding - ClickFix/FileFix

Detects process creation with suspicious whitespace padding followed by a '#' character, which may indicate ClickFix or FileFix techniques used to conceal malicious commands from visual inspection. ClickFix and FileFix are social engineering attack techniques where adversaries distribute phishing documents or malicious links that deceive users into opening the Windows Run dialog box or File Explorer search bar. The victims are then instructed to paste commands from their clipboard, which contain extensive whitespace padding using various Unicode space characters to push the actual malicious command far to the right, effectively hiding it from immediate view.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0002 · Executionattack.t1204.004TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1027.010 · Command Obfuscation
Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)Tue Nov 04windows
Detectionmediumexperimental

Suspicious Usage of For Loop with Recursive Directory Search in CMD

Detects suspicious usage of the cmd.exe 'for /f' loop combined with the 'tokens=' parameter and a recursive directory listing. This pattern may indicate an attempt to discover and execute system binaries dynamically, for example powershell, a technique sometimes used by attackers to evade detection. This behavior has been observed in various malicious lnk files.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0002 · ExecutionT1059.003 · Windows Command ShellTA0005 · Defense EvasionT1027.010 · Command Obfuscation
Joseliyo SanchezWed Nov 12windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential Command Line Path Traversal Evasion Attempt

Detects potential evasion or obfuscation attempts using bogus path traversal via the commandline

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036 · Masquerading
Christian Burkard (Nextron Systems)Tue Oct 26windows
Detectionmediumtest

Suspicious Copy From or To System Directory

Detects a suspicious copy operation that tries to copy a program from system (System32, SysWOW64, WinSxS) directories to another on disk. Often used to move LOLBINs such as 'certutil' or 'desktopimgdownldr' to a different location with a different name in order to bypass detections based on locations.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036.003 · Rename System Utilities
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)+3Fri Jul 03windows
Detectionhightest

LOL-Binary Copied From System Directory

Detects a suspicious copy operation that tries to copy a known LOLBIN from system (System32, SysWOW64, WinSxS) directories to another on disk in order to bypass detections based on locations.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036.003 · Rename System Utilities
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)Tue Aug 29windows
Detectionhightest

Raccine Uninstall

Detects commands that indicate a Raccine removal from an end system. Raccine is a free ransomware protection tool.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1562.001 · Disable or Modify Tools
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)Thu Jan 21windows
Detectionhightest

Suspicious Parent Double Extension File Execution

Detect execution of suspicious double extension files in ParentCommandLine

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036.007 · Double File Extension
François Hubaut+1Fri Jan 06windows
Detectioncriticaltest

DumpStack.log Defender Evasion

Detects the use of the filename DumpStack.log to evade Microsoft Defender

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)Thu Jan 06windows
Detectionmediumtest

Always Install Elevated MSI Spawned Cmd And Powershell

Detects Windows Installer service (msiexec.exe) spawning "cmd" or "powershell"

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0004 · Privilege EscalationT1548.002 · Bypass User Account Control
Teymur Kheirkhabarov+2Tue Oct 13windows
Detectionmediumtest

Elevated System Shell Spawned From Uncommon Parent Location

Detects when a shell program such as the Windows command prompt or PowerShell is launched with system privileges from a uncommon parent location.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0004 · Privilege EscalationTA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0002 · ExecutionT1059 · Command and Scripting Interpreter
François Hubaut+1Mon Dec 05windows
Detectionhightest

Potential Defense Evasion Activity Via Emoji Usage In CommandLine - 1

Detects the usage of emojis in the command line, this could be a sign of potential defense evasion activity.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
kostastsale+1Mon Dec 05windows
Detectionhightest

Potential Defense Evasion Activity Via Emoji Usage In CommandLine - 2

Detects the usage of emojis in the command line, this could be a sign of potential defense evasion activity.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
kostastsale+1Mon Dec 05windows
Detectionhightest

Potential Defense Evasion Activity Via Emoji Usage In CommandLine - 3

Detects the usage of emojis in the command line, this could be a sign of potential defense evasion activity.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
kostastsale+1Mon Dec 05windows
Detectionhightest

Potential Defense Evasion Activity Via Emoji Usage In CommandLine - 4

Detects the usage of emojis in the command line, this could be a sign of potential defense evasion activity.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
kostastsale+1Mon Dec 05windows
Detectionhightest

ETW Logging Tamper In .NET Processes Via CommandLine

Detects changes to environment variables related to ETW logging via the CommandLine. This could indicate potential adversaries stopping ETW providers recording loaded .NET assemblies.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1562 · Impair Defenses
Roberto Rodriguez (Cyb3rWard0g)+1Sat May 02windows
Detectionhightest

ETW Trace Evasion Activity

Detects command line activity that tries to clear or disable any ETW trace log which could be a sign of logging evasion.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1070 · Indicator RemovalT1562.006 · Indicator Blocking2016-04-002 · CAR 2016-04-002
@neu5ron+3Fri Mar 22windows
Detectionhighstable

Suspicious Eventlog Clearing or Configuration Change Activity

Detects the clearing or configuration tampering of EventLog using utilities such as "wevtutil", "powershell" and "wmic". This technique were seen used by threat actors and ransomware strains in order to evade defenses.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1070.001 · Clear Windows Event LogsT1562.002 · Disable Windows Event Logging2016-04-002 · CAR 2016-04-002
Ecco+4Thu Sep 26windows
Detectionhightest

Potentially Suspicious Execution From Parent Process In Public Folder

Detects a potentially suspicious execution of a parent process located in the "\Users\Public" folder executing a child process containing references to shell or scripting binaries and commandlines.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0002 · ExecutionT1564 · Hide ArtifactsT1059 · Command and Scripting Interpreter
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)+1Fri Feb 25windows
Detectionhightest

Process Execution From A Potentially Suspicious Folder

Detects a potentially suspicious execution from an uncommon folder.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036 · Masquerading
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)+1Wed Jan 16windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential Hidden Directory Creation Via NTFS INDEX_ALLOCATION Stream - CLI

Detects command line containing reference to the "::$index_allocation" stream, which can be used as a technique to prevent access to folders or files from tooling such as "explorer.exe" or "powershell.exe"

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1564.004 · NTFS File Attributes
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)+1Mon Oct 09windows
Detectionmediumtest

Writing Of Malicious Files To The Fonts Folder

Monitors for the hiding possible malicious files in the C:\Windows\Fonts\ location. This folder doesn't require admin privillege to be written and executed from.

WindowsProcess Creation
T1211 · Exploitation for Defense EvasionT1059 · Command and Scripting InterpreterTA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0003 · Persistence+1
SreemanTue Apr 21windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential Homoglyph Attack Using Lookalike Characters

Detects the presence of unicode characters which are homoglyphs, or identical in appearance, to ASCII letter characters. This is used as an obfuscation and masquerading techniques. Only "perfect" homoglyphs are included; these are characters that are indistinguishable from ASCII characters and thus may make excellent candidates for homoglyph attack characters.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionT1036 · MasqueradingT1036.003 · Rename System Utilities
Micah BabinskiSun May 07windows
Detectionhightest

Execution Of Non-Existing File

Checks whether the image specified in a process creation event is not a full, absolute path (caused by process ghosting or other unorthodox methods to start a process)

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
Max Altgelt (Nextron Systems)Thu Dec 09windows
Detectionmediumtest

LOLBIN Execution From Abnormal Drive

Detects LOLBINs executing from an abnormal or uncommon drive such as a mounted ISO.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
Christopher Peacock+3Tue Jan 25windows
Detectionmediumtest

Potential File Download Via MS-AppInstaller Protocol Handler

Detects usage of the "ms-appinstaller" protocol handler via command line to potentially download arbitrary files via AppInstaller.EXE The downloaded files are temporarly stored in ":\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\INetCache\<RANDOM-8-CHAR-DIRECTORY>"

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense EvasionTA0002 · ExecutionT1218 · System Binary Proxy Execution
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)+1Thu Nov 09windows
Detectionmediumtest

Process Launched Without Image Name

Detect the use of processes with no name (".exe"), which can be used to evade Image-based detections.

WindowsProcess Creation
TA0005 · Defense Evasion
Matt Anderson (Huntress)Tue Jul 23windows