Potential Binary Impersonating Sysinternals Tools — Sigma Rule

Rule metadata and linked tags

Author: frack113, Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems). Source status: test; severity: medium. Source dates: 2021-12-20 / 2025-04-12.

{
  "category": "process_creation",
  "product": "windows"
}

Pinned original Sigma rule · Detection Rule License 1.1

Source SHA-256: 1481384429fcc76c78f0f9546c3f9fa6b48bb3921ef565299912161cc54b37c0

Detection logic

Original source YAML. Source-tag agreement is not proof of complete semantic coverage. This rule has not been compiled for a SIEM backend or validated against live telemetry here.

title: Potential Binary Impersonating Sysinternals Tools
id: 7cce6fc8-a07f-4d84-a53e-96e1879843c9
status: test
description: |
    Detects binaries that use the same name as legitimate sysinternals tools to evade detection.
    This rule looks for the execution of binaries that are named similarly to Sysinternals tools.
    Adversary may rename their malicious tools as legitimate Sysinternals tools to evade detection.
references:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite
author: frack113, Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
date: 2021-12-20
modified: 2025-04-12
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.stealth
    - attack.t1218
    - attack.t1202
    - attack.t1036.005
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_exe:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\accesschk.exe'
            - '\accesschk64.exe'
            - '\AccessEnum.exe'
            - '\ADExplorer.exe'
            - '\ADExplorer64.exe'
            - '\ADInsight.exe'
            - '\ADInsight64.exe'
            - '\adrestore.exe'
            - '\adrestore64.exe'
            - '\Autologon.exe'
            - '\Autologon64.exe'
            - '\Autoruns.exe'
            - '\Autoruns64.exe'
            - '\autorunsc.exe'
            - '\autorunsc64.exe'
            - '\Bginfo.exe'
            - '\Bginfo64.exe'
            - '\Cacheset.exe'
            - '\Cacheset64.exe'
            - '\Clockres.exe'
            - '\Clockres64.exe'
            - '\Contig.exe'
            - '\Contig64.exe'
            - '\Coreinfo.exe'
            - '\Coreinfo64.exe'
            - '\CPUSTRES.EXE'
            - '\CPUSTRES64.EXE'
            - '\ctrl2cap.exe'
            - '\Dbgview.exe'
            - '\dbgview64.exe'
            - '\Desktops.exe'
            - '\Desktops64.exe'
            - '\disk2vhd.exe'
            - '\disk2vhd64.exe'
            - '\diskext.exe'
            - '\diskext64.exe'
            - '\Diskmon.exe'
            - '\Diskmon64.exe'
            - '\DiskView.exe'
            - '\DiskView64.exe'
            - '\du.exe'
            - '\du64.exe'
            - '\efsdump.exe'
            - '\FindLinks.exe'
            - '\FindLinks64.exe'
            - '\handle.exe'
            - '\handle64.exe'
            - '\hex2dec.exe'
            - '\hex2dec64.exe'
            - '\junction.exe'
            - '\junction64.exe'
            - '\ldmdump.exe'
            - '\listdlls.exe'
            - '\listdlls64.exe'
            - '\livekd.exe'
            - '\livekd64.exe'
            - '\loadOrd.exe'
            - '\loadOrd64.exe'
            - '\loadOrdC.exe'
            - '\loadOrdC64.exe'
            - '\logonsessions.exe'
            - '\logonsessions64.exe'
            - '\movefile.exe'
            - '\movefile64.exe'
            - '\notmyfault.exe'
            - '\notmyfault64.exe'
            - '\notmyfaultc.exe'
            - '\notmyfaultc64.exe'
            - '\ntfsinfo.exe'
            - '\ntfsinfo64.exe'
            - '\pendmoves.exe'
            - '\pendmoves64.exe'
            - '\pipelist.exe'
            - '\pipelist64.exe'
            - '\portmon.exe'
            - '\procdump.exe'
            - '\procdump64.exe'
            - '\procexp.exe'
            - '\procexp64.exe'
            - '\Procmon.exe'
            - '\Procmon64.exe'
            - '\psExec.exe'
            - '\psExec64.exe'
            - '\psfile.exe'
            - '\psfile64.exe'
            - '\psGetsid.exe'
            - '\psGetsid64.exe'
            - '\psInfo.exe'
            - '\psInfo64.exe'
            - '\pskill.exe'
            - '\pskill64.exe'
            - '\pslist.exe'
            - '\pslist64.exe'
            - '\psLoggedon.exe'
            - '\psLoggedon64.exe'
            - '\psloglist.exe'
            - '\psloglist64.exe'
            - '\pspasswd.exe'
            - '\pspasswd64.exe'
            - '\psping.exe'
            - '\psping64.exe'
            - '\psService.exe'
            - '\psService64.exe'
            - '\psshutdown.exe'
            - '\psshutdown64.exe'
            - '\pssuspend.exe'
            - '\pssuspend64.exe'
            - '\RAMMap.exe'
            - '\RAMMap64.exe'
            - '\RDCMan.exe'
            - '\RegDelNull.exe'
            - '\RegDelNull64.exe'
            - '\regjump.exe'
            - '\ru.exe'
            - '\ru64.exe'
            - '\sdelete.exe'
            - '\sdelete64.exe'
            - '\ShareEnum.exe'
            - '\ShareEnum64.exe'
            - '\shellRunas.exe'
            - '\sigcheck.exe'
            - '\sigcheck64.exe'
            - '\streams.exe'
            - '\streams64.exe'
            - '\strings.exe'
            - '\strings64.exe'
            - '\sync.exe'
            - '\sync64.exe'
            - '\Sysmon.exe'
            - '\Sysmon64.exe'
            - '\tcpvcon.exe'
            - '\tcpvcon64.exe'
            - '\tcpview.exe'
            - '\tcpview64.exe'
            - '\Testlimit.exe'
            - '\Testlimit64.exe'
            - '\vmmap.exe'
            - '\vmmap64.exe'
            - '\Volumeid.exe'
            - '\Volumeid64.exe'
            - '\whois.exe'
            - '\whois64.exe'
            - '\Winobj.exe'
            - '\Winobj64.exe'
            - '\ZoomIt.exe'
            - '\ZoomIt64.exe'
    selection_arm64:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\accesschk64a.exe'
            - '\ADExplorer64a.exe'
            - '\ADInsight64a.exe'
            - '\adrestore64a.exe'
            - '\Autologon64a.exe'
            - '\Autoruns64a.exe'
            - '\autorunsc64a.exe'
            - '\Clockres64a.exe'
            - '\Contig64a.exe'
            - '\Coreinfo64a.exe'
            - '\Dbgview64a.exe'
            - '\disk2vhd64a.exe'
            - '\diskext64a.exe'
            - '\DiskView64a.exe'
            - '\du64a.exe'
            - '\FindLinks64a.exe'
            - '\handle64a.exe'
            - '\hex2dec64a.exe'
            - '\junction64a.exe'
            - '\LoadOrd64a.exe'
            - '\LoadOrdC64a.exe'
            - '\logonsessions64a.exe'
            - '\movefile64a.exe'
            - '\notmyfault64a.exe'
            - '\notmyfaultc64a.exe'
            - '\pendmoves64a.exe'
            - '\pipelist64a.exe'
            - '\procdump64a.exe'
            - '\procexp64a.exe'
            - '\Procmon64a.exe'
            - '\PsExec64a.exe'
            - '\psfile64a.exe'
            - '\PsGetsid64a.exe'
            - '\PsInfo64a.exe'
            - '\pskill64a.exe'
            - '\psloglist64a.exe'
            - '\pspasswd64a.exe'
            - '\psping64a.exe'
            - '\PsService64a.exe'
            - '\pssuspend64a.exe'
            - '\RAMMap64a.exe'
            - '\RegDelNull64a.exe'
            - '\ru64a.exe'
            - '\sdelete64a.exe'
            - '\sigcheck64a.exe'
            - '\streams64a.exe'
            - '\strings64a.exe'
            - '\sync64a.exe'
            - '\Sysmon64a.exe'
            - '\tcpvcon64a.exe'
            - '\tcpview64a.exe'
            - '\vmmap64a.exe'
            - '\whois64a.exe'
            - '\Winobj64a.exe'
            - '\ZoomIt64a.exe'
    filter_valid:
        - Company:
              - 'Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com'
              - 'Sysinternals'
        - Product|startswith: 'Sysinternals'
    filter_empty:
        - Company: null
        - Product: null
    condition: 1 of selection_* and not 1 of filter_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: medium

Original YAML and metadata in JSON

False positives

• Unknown

Source references

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite