Program Executed Using Proxy/Local Command Via SSH.EXE — Sigma Rule

Rule metadata and linked tags

Author: frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali. Source status: test; severity: medium. Source dates: 2022-12-29 / 2025-10-16.

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

Pinned original Sigma rule · Detection Rule License 1.1

Source SHA-256: 2ecd2ff9d78ab26c163a14c033c910bc76455c236ec1feaf6c095e258bc0ec42

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: Program Executed Using Proxy/Local Command Via SSH.EXE
id: 7d6d30b8-5b91-4b90-a891-46cccaf29598
status: test
description: Detect usage of the "ssh.exe" binary as a proxy to launch other programs.
references:
    - https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Ssh/
    - https://github.com/LOLBAS-Project/LOLBAS/pull/211/files
    - https://gtfobins.github.io/gtfobins/ssh/
    - https://man.openbsd.org/ssh_config#ProxyCommand
    - https://man.openbsd.org/ssh_config#LocalCommand
author: frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali
date: 2022-12-29
modified: 2025-10-16
tags:
    - attack.stealth
    - attack.t1218
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_parent:
        # ParentCommandLine: '"C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\sshd.exe" -R'
        ParentImage: 'C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\sshd.exe'
    selection_cli_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\ssh.exe'
        - Product: 'OpenSSH for Windows'
        - Hashes|contains:
              - 'IMPHASH=55b4964d29aad5438b9e950052dbbbc0'
              - 'IMPHASH=334d66c33503ccbf647c15b47c27eef4'
              - 'IMPHASH=27b0da080ef92afb37983d30d839141e'
              - 'IMPHASH=977eb4c263d384e47daa0712d34713ab'
              - 'IMPHASH=3eaadce9ae43d5a918bb082065815c3b'
              - 'IMPHASH=980fe6cf0d996ab1eedf877222e722aa'
              - 'IMPHASH=5f959422308ac3d721010d66647e100e'
              - 'IMPHASH=a49aaa3d03d1cd9c8dc7fca60f7f480b'
              - 'IMPHASH=dd335f759b6d5d6a8382b71dd9d65791'
    selection_cli_flags:
        - CommandLine|contains: 'ProxyCommand='
        - CommandLine|contains|all:
              - 'PermitLocalCommand=yes'
              - ' LocalCommand'
    condition: selection_parent or all of selection_cli_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate usage for administration purposes
level: medium

Original YAML and metadata in JSON

False positives

• Legitimate usage for administration purposes

Source references

• https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Ssh/
• https://github.com/LOLBAS-Project/LOLBAS/pull/211/files
• https://gtfobins.github.io/gtfobins/ssh/
• https://man.openbsd.org/ssh_config#ProxyCommand
• https://man.openbsd.org/ssh_config#LocalCommand