Sigma rule: PSEXEC Remote Execution File Artefact

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-052c4da58605, updated 2023-02-23T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
PSEXEC Remote Execution File Artefact
Status
test
Level
high
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2023-01-21
Modified
2023-02-23
File
rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_psexec_service_key.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects creation of the PSEXEC key file. Which is created anytime a PsExec command is executed. It gets written to the file system and will be recorded in the USN Journal on the target system

Log source

product
windows
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    TargetFilename|startswith: 'C:\Windows\PSEXEC-'
    TargetFilename|endswith: '.key'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unlikely

Tags

  • attack.lateral-movement
  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.execution
  • attack.persistence
  • attack.t1136.002
  • attack.t1543.003
  • attack.t1570
  • attack.s0029

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/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_psexec_service_key.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "PSEXEC Remote Execution File Artefact" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_psexec_service_key.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: PSEXEC Remote Execution File Artefact",
entity page, dataset version ref-052c4da58605, updated 2023-02-23T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/304afd73-55a5-4bb9-8c21-0b1fc84ea9e4 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 304afd73-55a5-4bb9-8c21-0b1fc84ea9e4, 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.