Sigma rule: Suspicious Response File Execution Via Odbcconf.EXE

Rule

Title

Suspicious Response File Execution Via Odbcconf.EXE

Status

test

Level

high

Author

Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Date

2023-05-22

Modified

2024-03-13

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_odbcconf_response_file_susp.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects execution of "odbcconf" with the "-f" flag in order to load a response file with a non-".rsp" extension.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\odbcconf.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'odbcconf.exe'
selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains|windash: ' -f '
filter_main_rsp_ext:
    CommandLine|contains: '.rsp'
filter_main_runonce_odbc:
    # When odbcconf is run with the "/R" flag, it creates a "runonce" key to run at the next reboot
    ParentImage: 'C:\Windows\System32\runonce.exe'
    Image: 'C:\Windows\System32\odbcconf.exe'
    CommandLine|contains: '.exe /E /F "C:\WINDOWS\system32\odbcconf.tmp"'
condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_main_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unlikely

Tags

• attack.stealth
• attack.t1218.008

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1218.008

Related rules

• 5f03babb-12db-4eec-8c82-7b4cb5580868 (derived)
• 65d2be45-8600-4042-b4c0-577a1ff8a60e (obsolete)

References

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/odbc/odbcconf-exe?view=sql-server-ver16
• https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Odbcconf/
• https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/17/h/backdoor-carrying-emails-set-sights-on-russian-speaking-businesses.html

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_odbcconf_response_file_susp.yml