Sigma rule: HackTool - CrackMapExec Execution Patterns

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-c8edbdc1c9b5, updated 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
HackTool - CrackMapExec Execution Patterns
Status
stable
Level
high
Author
Thomas Patzke
Date
2020-05-22
Modified
2023-11-06
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_crackmapexec_execution_patterns.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects various execution patterns of the CrackMapExec pentesting framework

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    CommandLine|contains:
        # cme/protocols/smb/wmiexec.py (generalized execute_remote and execute_fileless)
        - 'cmd.exe /Q /c * 1> \\\\*\\*\\* 2>&1'
        # cme/protocols/smb/atexec.py:109 (fileless output via share)
        - 'cmd.exe /C * > \\\\*\\*\\* 2>&1'
        # cme/protocols/smb/atexec.py:111 (fileless output via share)
        - 'cmd.exe /C * > *\\Temp\\* 2>&1'
        # https://github.com/byt3bl33d3r/CrackMapExec/blob/d8c50c8cbaf36c29329078662473f75e440978d2/cme/helpers/powershell.py#L136 (PowerShell execution with obfuscation)
        - 'powershell.exe -exec bypass -noni -nop -w 1 -C "'
        # https://github.com/byt3bl33d3r/CrackMapExec/blob/d8c50c8cbaf36c29329078662473f75e440978d2/cme/helpers/powershell.py#L160 (PowerShell execution without obfuscation)
        - 'powershell.exe -noni -nop -w 1 -enc '
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.persistence
  • attack.execution
  • attack.t1047
  • attack.t1053
  • attack.t1059.003
  • attack.t1059.001
  • attack.s0106

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_crackmapexec_execution_patterns.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "HackTool - CrackMapExec Execution Patterns" by Thomas Patzke (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_crackmapexec_execution_patterns.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: HackTool - CrackMapExec Execution Patterns",
entity page, dataset version ref-c8edbdc1c9b5, updated 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/058f4380-962d-40a5-afce-50207d36d7e2 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 058f4380-962d-40a5-afce-50207d36d7e2, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.