Sigma rule: New Kernel Driver Via SC.EXE

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-ac5fe6513525, updated 2025-10-07T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
New Kernel Driver Via SC.EXE
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-07-14
Modified
2025-10-07
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sc_new_kernel_driver.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects creation of a new service (kernel driver) with the type "kernel"

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    Image|endswith: '\sc.exe'
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'create'
        - 'config'
    CommandLine|contains|all:
        - 'binPath'
        - 'type'
        - 'kernel'
filter_optional_avira_driver:
    - CommandLine|contains|all:
          - 'create netprotection_network_filter'
          - 'type= kernel start= '
          - 'binPath= System32\drivers\netprotection_network_filter'
          - 'DisplayName= netprotection_network_filter'
          - 'group= PNP_TDI tag= yes'
    - CommandLine|contains|all:
          - 'create avelam binpath=C:\Windows\system32\drivers\avelam.sys'
          - 'type=kernel start=boot error=critical group=Early-Launch'
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_optional_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Rare legitimate installation of kernel drivers via sc.exe

Tags

  • attack.persistence
  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.t1543.003

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_creation/proc_creation_win_sc_new_kernel_driver.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "New Kernel Driver Via SC.EXE" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sc_new_kernel_driver.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: New Kernel Driver Via SC.EXE",
entity page, dataset version ref-ac5fe6513525, updated 2025-10-07T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/431a1fdb-4799-4f3b-91c3-a683b003fc49 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 431a1fdb-4799-4f3b-91c3-a683b003fc49, 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.