Sigma rule: Loaded Module Enumeration Via Tasklist.EXE

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-4ac0f6d58677, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title: Loaded Module Enumeration Via Tasklist.EXE
Status: test
Level: medium
Author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel
Date: 2024-02-12
Modified: 2024-03-13
File: rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_tasklist_module_enumeration.yml
Commit: ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the enumeration of a specific DLL or EXE being used by a binary via "tasklist.exe".
This is often used by attackers in order to find the specific process identifier (PID) that is using the DLL in question.
In order to dump the process memory or perform other nefarious actions.

Log source

product: windows
category: process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\tasklist.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'tasklist.exe'
selection_flags:
    CommandLine|contains|windash: '-m'
selection_module:
    # Note: add other interesting modules or binaries
    CommandLine|contains: 'rdpcorets.dll'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

Unknown

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

T1003

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/process_creation/proc_creation_win_tasklist_module_enumeration.yml

Sources and licences

SigmaHQ
"Loaded Module Enumeration Via Tasklist.EXE" by Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_tasklist_module_enumeration.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: Loaded Module Enumeration Via Tasklist.EXE",
entity page, dataset version ref-4ac0f6d58677, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/34275eb8-fa19-436b-b959-3d9ecd53fa1f (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 34275eb8-fa19-436b-b959-3d9ecd53fa1f, 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.