Sigma rule: CMSTP Execution Process Access

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-a2ecf7338d09, updated 2021-06-27T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
CMSTP Execution Process Access
Status
stable
Level
high
Author
Nik Seetharaman
Date
2018-07-16
Modified
2021-06-27
File
rules/windows/process_access/proc_access_win_cmstp_execution_by_access.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects various indicators of Microsoft Connection Manager Profile Installer execution

Log source

product
windows
category
process_access

Detection

# Process Access Call Trace
selection:
    CallTrace|contains: 'cmlua.dll'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate CMSTP use (unlikely in modern enterprise environments)

Tags

  • attack.stealth
  • attack.t1218.003
  • attack.execution
  • attack.t1559.001
  • attack.g0069
  • attack.g0080
  • car.2019-04-001

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/process_access/proc_access_win_cmstp_execution_by_access.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "CMSTP Execution Process Access" by Nik Seetharaman (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_access/proc_access_win_cmstp_execution_by_access.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: CMSTP Execution Process Access",
entity page, dataset version ref-a2ecf7338d09, updated 2021-06-27T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/3b4b232a-af90-427c-a22f-30b0c0837b95 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 3b4b232a-af90-427c-a22f-30b0c0837b95, 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.