Sigma Rules
294 rules found
BaaUpdate.exe Suspicious DLL Load
Detects BitLocker Access Agent Update Utility (baaupdate.exe) loading DLLs from suspicious locations that are publicly writable which could indicate an attempt to lateral movement via BitLocker DCOM & COM Hijacking. This technique abuses COM Classes configured as INTERACTIVE USER to spawn processes in the context of the logged-on user's session. Specifically, it targets the BDEUILauncher Class (CLSID ab93b6f1-be76-4185-a488-a9001b105b94) which can launch BaaUpdate.exe, which is vulnerable to COM Hijacking when started with input parameters. This allows attackers to execute code in the user's context without needing to steal credentials or use additional techniques to compromise the account.
MMC Loading Script Engines DLLs
Detects when the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) loads the DLL libraries like vbscript, jscript etc which might indicate an attempt to execute malicious scripts within a trusted system process for bypassing application whitelisting or defense evasion.
Suspicious Loading of Dbgcore/Dbghelp DLLs from Uncommon Location
Detects loading of dbgcore.dll or dbghelp.dll from uncommon locations such as user directories. These DLLs contain the MiniDumpWriteDump function, which can be abused for credential dumping purposes or in some cases for evading EDR/AV detection by suspending processes.
Trusted Path Bypass via Windows Directory Spoofing
Detects DLLs loading from a spoofed Windows directory path with an extra space (e.g "C:\Windows \System32") which can bypass Windows trusted path verification. This technique tricks Windows into treating the path as trusted, allowing malicious DLLs to load with high integrity privileges bypassing UAC.
Suspicious Non-Browser Network Communication With Google API
Detects a non-browser process interacting with the Google API which could indicate the use of a covert C2 such as Google Sheet C2 (GC2-sheet)
Network Connection Initiated via Finger.EXE
Detects network connections via finger.exe, which can be abused by threat actors to retrieve remote commands for execution on Windows devices. In one ClickFix malware campaign, adversaries leveraged the finger protocol to fetch commands from a remote server. Since the finger utility is not commonly used in modern Windows environments, its presence already raises suspicion. Investigating such network connections can also help identify potential malicious infrastructure used by threat actors
Remote Access Tool - AnyDesk Incoming Connection
Detects incoming connections to AnyDesk. This could indicate a potential remote attacker trying to connect to a listening instance of AnyDesk and use it as potential command and control channel.
DMSA Service Account Created in Specific OUs - PowerShell
Detects the creation of a dMSA service account using the New-ADServiceAccount cmdlet in certain OUs. The fact that the cmdlet is used to create a dMSASvc account in a specific OU is highly suspicious. It is a pattern trying to exploit the BadSuccessor privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Server 2025. On top of that, if the user that is creating the dMSASvc account is not a legitimate administrator or does not have the necessary permissions, it is a strong signal of an attempted or successful abuse of the BaDSuccessor vulnerability for privilege escalation within the Windows Server 2025 Active Directory environment.
DMSA Link Attributes Modified
Detects modification of dMSA link attributes (msDS-ManagedAccountPrecededByLink) via PowerShell scripts. This command line pattern could be an indicator an attempt to exploit the BadSuccessor privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Server 2025.
Potential Unconstrained Delegation Discovery Via Get-ADComputer - ScriptBlock
Detects the use of the "Get-ADComputer" cmdlet in order to identify systems which are configured for unconstrained delegation.
Registry Modification Attempt Via VBScript - PowerShell
Detects attempts to modify the registry using VBScript's CreateObject("Wscript.shell") and RegWrite methods embedded within PowerShell scripts or commands. Threat actors commonly embed VBScript code within PowerShell to perform registry modifications, attempting to evade detection that monitors for direct registry access through traditional tools. This technique can be used for persistence, defense evasion, and privilege escalation by modifying registry keys without using regedit.exe, reg.exe, or PowerShell's native registry cmdlets.
Suspicious Process Access to LSASS with Dbgcore/Dbghelp DLLs
Detects suspicious process access to LSASS.exe from processes located in uncommon locations with dbgcore.dll or dbghelp.dll in the call trace. These DLLs contain functions like MiniDumpWriteDump that can be abused for credential dumping purposes. While modern tools like Mimikatz have moved to using ntdll.dll, dbgcore.dll and dbghelp.dll are still used by basic credential dumping utilities and legacy tools for LSASS memory access and process suspension techniques.
Suspicious Process Access of MsMpEng by WerFaultSecure - EDR-Freeze
Detects process access events where WerFaultSecure accesses MsMpEng.exe with dbgcore.dll or dbghelp.dll in the call trace, indicating potential EDR freeze techniques. This technique leverages WerFaultSecure.exe running as a Protected Process Light (PPL) with WinTCB protection level to call MiniDumpWriteDump and suspend EDR/AV processes, allowing malicious activity to execute undetected during the suspension period.
Windows AMSI Related Registry Tampering Via CommandLine
Detects tampering of AMSI (Anti-Malware Scan Interface) related registry values via command line tools such as reg.exe or PowerShell. AMSI provides a generic interface for applications and services to integrate with antimalware products. Adversaries may disable AMSI to evade detection of malicious scripts and code execution.
Suspicious ArcSOC.exe Child Process
Detects script interpreters, command-line tools, and similar suspicious child processes of ArcSOC.exe. ArcSOC.exe is the process name which hosts ArcGIS Server REST services. If an attacker compromises an ArcGIS Server system and uploads a malicious Server Object Extension (SOE), they can send crafted requests to the corresponding service endpoint and remotely execute code from the ArcSOC.exe process.
Windows EventLog Autologger Session Registry Modification Via CommandLine
Detects attempts to disable Windows EventLog autologger sessions via registry modification. The AutoLogger event tracing session records events that occur early in the operating system boot process. Applications and device drivers can use the AutoLogger session to capture traces before the user logs in. Adversaries may disable these sessions to evade detection and prevent security monitoring of early boot activities and system events.
Suspicious Autorun Registry Modified via WMI
Detects suspicious activity where the WMIC process is used to create an autorun registry entry via reg.exe, which is often indicative of persistence mechanisms employed by malware.
Suspicious BitLocker Access Agent Update Utility Execution
Detects the execution of the BitLocker Access Agent Update Utility (baaupdate.exe) which is not a common parent process for other processes. Suspicious child processes spawned by baaupdate.exe could indicate an attempt at lateral movement via BitLocker DCOM & COM Hijacking.
Suspicious CertReq Command to Download
Detects a suspicious CertReq execution downloading a file. This behavior is often used by attackers to download additional payloads or configuration files. Certreq is a built-in Windows utility used to request and retrieve certificates from a certification authority (CA). However, it can be abused by threat actors for malicious purposes.
Cmd Launched with Hidden Start Flags to Suspicious Targets
Detects cmd.exe executing commands with the "start" utility using "/b" (no window) or "/min" (minimized) flags. To reduce false positives from standard background tasks, detection is restricted to scenarios where the target is a known script extension or located in suspicious temporary/public directories. This technique was observed in Chaos, DarkSide, and Emotet malware campaigns.
OpenEDR Spawning Command Shell
Detects the OpenEDR ssh-shellhost.exe spawning a command shell (cmd.exe) or PowerShell with PTY (pseudo-terminal) capabilities. This may indicate remote command execution through OpenEDR's remote management features, which could be legitimate administrative activity or potential abuse of the remote access tool. Threat actors may leverage OpenEDR's remote shell capabilities to execute commands on compromised systems, facilitating lateral movement or other command-and-control operations.
Potentially Suspicious Child Processes Spawned by ConHost
Detects suspicious child processes related to Windows Shell utilities spawned by `conhost.exe`, which could indicate malicious activity using trusted system components.
New DMSA Service Account Created in Specific OUs
Detects the creation of a dMSASvc account using the New-ADServiceAccount cmdlet in certain OUs. The fact that the Cmdlet is used to create a dMSASvc account in a specific OU is highly suspicious. It is a pattern trying to exploit the BadSuccessor privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Server 2025. On top of that, if the user that is creating the dMSASvc account is not a legitimate administrator or does not have the necessary permissions, it is a strong signal of an attempted or successful abuse of the BaDSuccessor vulnerability for privilege escalation within the Windows Server 2025 Active Directory environment.
Windows Credential Guard Registry Tampering Via CommandLine
Detects attempts to add, modify, or delete Windows Credential Guard related registry keys or values via command line tools such as Reg.exe or PowerShell. Credential Guard uses virtualization-based security to isolate secrets so that only privileged system software can access them. Adversaries may disable Credential Guard to gain access to sensitive credentials stored in the system, such as NTLM hashes and Kerberos tickets, which can be used for lateral movement and privilege escalation. The rule matches suspicious command lines that target DeviceGuard or LSA registry paths and manipulate keys like EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity, RequirePlatformSecurityFeatures, or LsaCfgFlags. Such activity may indicate an attempt to disable or tamper with Credential Guard, potentially exposing sensitive credentials for misuse.
PowerShell Defender Threat Severity Default Action Set to 'Allow' or 'NoAction'
Detects the use of PowerShell to execute the 'Set-MpPreference' cmdlet to configure Windows Defender's threat severity default action to 'Allow' (value '6') or 'NoAction' (value '9'). This is a highly suspicious configuration change that effectively disables Defender's ability to automatically mitigate threats of a certain severity level. An attacker might use this technique via the command line to bypass defenses before executing payloads.
Windows Defender Context Menu Removed
Detects the use of reg.exe or PowerShell to delete the Windows Defender context menu handler registry keys. This action removes the "Scan with Microsoft Defender" option from the right-click menu for files, directories, and drives. Attackers may use this technique to hinder manual, on-demand scans and reduce the visibility of the security product.
Devcon Execution Disabling VMware VMCI Device
Detects execution of devcon.exe with commands that disable the VMware Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) device. This can be legitimate during VMware Tools troubleshooting or driver conflicts, but may also indicate malware attempting to hijack communication with the hardware via the VMCI device. This has been used to facilitate VMware ESXi vulnerability exploits to escape VMs and execute code on the ESXi host.
System Information Discovery via Registry Queries
Detects attempts to query system information directly from the Windows Registry.
Security Event Logging Disabled via MiniNt Registry Key - Process
Detects attempts to disable security event logging by adding the `MiniNt` registry key. This key is used to disable the Windows Event Log service, which collects and stores event logs from the operating system and applications. Adversaries may want to disable this service to prevent logging of security events that could be used to detect their activities.
Suspicious Child Process of Notepad++ Updater - GUP.Exe
Detects suspicious child process creation by the Notepad++ updater process (gup.exe). This could indicate potential exploitation of the updater component to deliver unwanted malware.
HackTool - Doppelanger LSASS Dumper Execution
Detects the execution of the Doppelanger hacktool which is used to dump LSASS memory via process cloning while evading common detection methods
Hacktool - EDR-Freeze Execution
Detects execution of EDR-Freeze, a tool that exploits the MiniDumpWriteDump function and WerFaultSecure.exe to suspend EDR and Antivirus processes on Windows. EDR-Freeze leverages a race-condition attack to put security processes into a dormant state by suspending WerFaultSecure at the moment it freezes the target process. This technique does not require kernel-level exploits or BYOVD, but instead abuses user-mode functionality to temporarily disable monitoring by EDR or Antimalware solutions.
HackTool - HollowReaper Execution
Detects usage of HollowReaper, a process hollowing shellcode launcher used for stealth payload execution through process hollowing. It replaces the memory of a legitimate process with custom shellcode, allowing the attacker to execute payloads under the guise of trusted binaries.
HackTool - LaZagne Execution
Detects the execution of the LaZagne. A utility used to retrieve multiple types of passwords stored on a local computer. LaZagne has been leveraged multiple times by threat actors in order to dump credentials.
HackTool - NetExec Execution
Detects execution of the hacktool NetExec. NetExec (formerly CrackMapExec) is a widely used post-exploitation tool designed for Active Directory penetration testing and network enumeration In enterprise environments, the use of NetExec is considered suspicious or potentially malicious because it enables attackers to enumerate hosts, exploit network services, and move laterally across systems. Threat actors and red teams commonly use NetExec to identify vulnerable systems, harvest credentials, and execute commands remotely.
HKTL - SharpSuccessor Privilege Escalation Tool Execution
Detects the execution of SharpSuccessor, a tool used to exploit the BadSuccessor attack for privilege escalation in WinServer 2025 Active Directory environments. Successful usage of this tool can let the attackers gain the domain admin privileges by exploiting the BadSuccessor vulnerability.
HackTool - WSASS Execution
Detects execution of WSASS, a tool used to dump LSASS memory on Windows systems by leveraging WER's (Windows Error Reporting) WerFaultSecure.EXE to bypass PPL (Protected Process Light) protections.
Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) Related Registry Tampering Via CommandLine
Detects the tampering of Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) related registry values via command line tool reg.exe. HVCI uses virtualization-based security to protect code integrity by ensuring that only trusted code can run in kernel mode. Adversaries may tamper with HVCI to load malicious or unsigned drivers, which can be used to escalate privileges, maintain persistence, or evade security mechanisms.
IIS WebServer Log Deletion via CommandLine Utilities
Detects attempts to delete Internet Information Services (IIS) log files via command line utilities, which is a common defense evasion technique used by attackers to cover their tracks. Threat actors often abuse vulnerabilities in web applications hosted on IIS servers to gain initial access and later delete IIS logs to evade detection.
Attempts of Kerberos Coercion Via DNS SPN Spoofing
Detects the presence of "UWhRC....AAYBAAAA" pattern in command line. The pattern "1UWhRCAAAAA..BAAAA" is a base64-encoded signature that corresponds to a marshaled CREDENTIAL_TARGET_INFORMATION structure. Attackers can use this technique to coerce authentication from victim systems to attacker-controlled hosts. It is one of the strong indicators of a Kerberos coercion attack, where adversaries manipulate DNS records to spoof Service Principal Names (SPNs) and redirect authentication requests like in CVE-2025-33073. If you see this pattern in the command line, it is likely an attempt to add spoofed Service Principal Names (SPNs) to DNS records, or checking for the presence of such records through the `nslookup` command.
Windows Default Domain GPO Modification via GPME
Detects the use of the Group Policy Management Editor (GPME) to modify Default Domain or Default Domain Controllers Group Policy Objects (GPOs). Adversaries may leverage GPME to make stealthy changes in these default GPOs to deploy malicious GPOs configurations across the domain without raising suspicion.
MMC Executing Files with Reversed Extensions Using RTLO Abuse
Detects malicious behavior where the MMC utility (`mmc.exe`) executes files with reversed extensions caused by Right-to-Left Override (RLO) abuse, disguising them as document formats.
Windows MSIX Package Support Framework AI_STUBS Execution
Detects execution of Advanced Installer MSIX Package Support Framework (PSF) components, specifically AI_STUBS executables with original filename 'popupwrapper.exe'. This activity may indicate malicious MSIX packages build with Advanced Installer leveraging the Package Support Framework to bypass application control restrictions.
Notepad Password Files Discovery
Detects the execution of Notepad to open a file that has the string "password" which may indicate unauthorized access to credentials or suspicious activity.
Obfuscated PowerShell MSI Install via WindowsInstaller COM
Detects the execution of obfuscated PowerShell commands that attempt to install MSI packages via the Windows Installer COM object (`WindowsInstaller.Installer`). The technique involves manipulating strings to hide functionality, such as constructing class names using string insertion (e.g., 'indowsInstaller.Installer'.Insert(0,'W')) and correcting malformed URLs (e.g., converting 'htps://' to 'https://') at runtime. This behavior is commonly associated with malware loaders or droppers that aim to bypass static detection by hiding intent in runtime-generated strings and using legitimate tools for code execution. The use of `InstallProduct` and COM object creation, particularly combined with hidden window execution and suppressed UI, indicates an attempt to install software (likely malicious) without user interaction.
PowerShell MSI Install via WindowsInstaller COM From Remote Location
Detects the execution of PowerShell commands that attempt to install MSI packages via the Windows Installer COM object (`WindowsInstaller.Installer`) hosted remotely. This could be indication of malicious software deployment or lateral movement attempts using Windows Installer functionality. And the usage of WindowsInstaller COM object rather than msiexec could be an attempt to bypass the detection.
Potential PowerShell Console History Access Attempt via History File
Detects potential access attempts to the PowerShell console history directly via history file (ConsoleHost_history.txt). This can give access to plaintext passwords used in PowerShell commands or used for general reconnaissance.
Suspicious Kerberos Ticket Request via CLI
Detects suspicious Kerberos ticket requests via command line using System.IdentityModel.Tokens.KerberosRequestorSecurityToken class. Threat actors may use command line interfaces to request Kerberos tickets for service accounts in order to perform offline password cracking attacks commonly known as Kerberoasting or other Kerberos ticket abuse techniques like silver ticket attacks.