Sigma rule: PDF File Created By RegEdit.EXE

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-ab0582065ab4, updated 2024-07-08T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
PDF File Created By RegEdit.EXE
Status
test
Level
high
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2024-07-08
File
rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_regedit_print_as_pdf.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the creation of a file with the ".pdf" extension by the "RegEdit.exe" process.
This indicates that a user is trying to print/save a registry key as a PDF in order to potentially extract sensitive information and bypass defenses.

Log source

product
windows
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    Image|endswith: '\regedit.exe'
    TargetFilename|endswith: '.pdf'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unlikely

Tags

  • attack.stealth

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/file/file_event/file_event_win_regedit_print_as_pdf.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "PDF File Created By RegEdit.EXE" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_regedit_print_as_pdf.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: PDF File Created By RegEdit.EXE",
entity page, dataset version ref-ab0582065ab4, updated 2024-07-08T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/145095eb-e273-443b-83d0-f9b519b7867b (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 145095eb-e273-443b-83d0-f9b519b7867b, 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.