Sigma rule: Uncommon Service Installation Image Path

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-57eb47becc0e, updated 2024-02-09T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Uncommon Service Installation Image Path
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-03-18
Modified
2024-02-09
File
rules/windows/builtin/system/service_control_manager/win_system_service_install_uncommon.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects uncommon service installation commands by looking at suspicious or uncommon image path values containing references to encoded powershell commands, temporary paths, etc.

Log source

product
windows
service
system

Detection

selection:
    Provider_Name: 'Service Control Manager'
    EventID: 7045
suspicious_paths:
    ImagePath|contains:
        - '\\\\.\\pipe'
        - '\Users\Public\'
        - '\Windows\Temp\'
suspicious_encoded_flag:
    ImagePath|contains: ' -e'
suspicious_encoded_keywords:
    ImagePath|contains:
        - ' aQBlAHgA' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' aWV4I' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' IAB' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' JAB' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' PAA' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' SQBFAFgA' # PowerShell encoded commands
        - ' SUVYI' # PowerShell encoded commands
filter_optional_thor_remote:
    ImagePath|startswith: 'C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\thor10-remote\thor64.exe'
filter_main_defender_def_updates:
    ImagePath|startswith: 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Definition Updates\'
condition: selection and ( suspicious_paths or all of suspicious_encoded_* ) and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.persistence
  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • car.2013-09-005
  • attack.t1543.003

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

Related rules

References

  • Internal Research

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/builtin/system/service_control_manager/win_system_service_install_uncommon.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Uncommon Service Installation Image Path" by Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/builtin/system/service_control_manager/win_system_service_install_uncommon.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: Uncommon Service Installation Image Path",
entity page, dataset version ref-57eb47becc0e, updated 2024-02-09T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/26481afe-db26-4228-b264-25a29fe6efc7 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 26481afe-db26-4228-b264-25a29fe6efc7, 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.