Sigma rule: OpenSSH Server Listening On Socket

Rule

Title

OpenSSH Server Listening On Socket

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

mdecrevoisier

Date

2022-10-25

File

rules/windows/builtin/openssh/win_sshd_openssh_server_listening_on_socket.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects scenarios where an attacker enables the OpenSSH server and server starts to listening on SSH socket.

Log source

product

windows

service

openssh

Detection

selection:
    EventID: 4
    process: sshd
    payload|startswith: 'Server listening on '
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Legitimate administrator activity

Tags

• attack.lateral-movement
• attack.t1021.004

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1021.004

References

• https://github.com/mdecrevoisier/EVTX-to-MITRE-Attack/tree/master/TA0008-Lateral%20Movement/T1021.004-Remote%20Service%20SSH
• https://winaero.com/enable-openssh-server-windows-10/
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/openssh/openssh_install_firstuse
• https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2020/05/21/ssh-server-on-windows-10.aspx
• https://medium.com/threatpunter/detecting-adversary-tradecraft-with-image-load-event-logging-and-eql-8de93338c16

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/openssh/win_sshd_openssh_server_listening_on_socket.yml