Sigma rule: Emotet Loader Execution Via .LNK File

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-6beaa28eb645, updated 2024-08-15T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Emotet Loader Execution Via .LNK File
Status
test
Level
high
Author
@kostastsale
Date
2022-04-22
Modified
2024-08-15
File
rules-emerging-threats/2022/Malware/Emotet/proc_creation_win_malware_emotet_loader_execution.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the Emotet Epoch4 loader as reported by @malware_traffic back in 2022.
The ".lnk" file was delivered via phishing campaign.

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    ParentImage|endswith:
        - '\cmd.exe'
        - '\explorer.exe'
        - '\powershell.exe'
    Image|endswith:
        - '\cmd.exe'
        - '\powershell.exe'
    CommandLine|contains|all:
        - 'findstr'
        - '.vbs'
        - '.lnk'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unlikely

Tags

  • attack.execution
  • attack.t1059.006
  • detection.emerging-threats

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-emerging-threats/2022/Malware/Emotet/proc_creation_win_malware_emotet_loader_execution.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Emotet Loader Execution Via .LNK File" by @kostastsale (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules-emerging-threats/2022/Malware/Emotet/proc_creation_win_malware_emotet_loader_execution.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: Emotet Loader Execution Via .LNK File",
entity page, dataset version ref-6beaa28eb645, updated 2024-08-15T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/1f32d820-1d5c-43fe-8fe2-feef0c952eb7 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 1f32d820-1d5c-43fe-8fe2-feef0c952eb7, 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.