Sigma rule: CobaltStrike Service Installations - System

Rule

Title

CobaltStrike Service Installations - System

Status

test

Level

critical

Author

Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Wojciech Lesicki

Date

2021-05-26

Modified

2022-11-27

File

rules/windows/builtin/system/service_control_manager/win_system_cobaltstrike_service_installs.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects known malicious service installs that appear in cases in which a Cobalt Strike beacon elevates privileges or lateral movement

Log source

product

windows

service

system

Detection

selection_id:
    Provider_Name: 'Service Control Manager'
    EventID: 7045
selection1:
    ImagePath|contains|all:
        - 'ADMIN$'
        - '.exe'
selection2:
    ImagePath|contains|all:
        - '%COMSPEC%'
        - 'start'
        - 'powershell'
selection3:
    ImagePath|contains: 'powershell -nop -w hidden -encodedcommand'
selection4:
    ImagePath|base64offset|contains: "IEX (New-Object Net.Webclient).DownloadString('http://127.0.0.1:"
condition: selection_id and (selection1 or selection2 or selection3 or selection4)

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unknown

Tags

• attack.persistence
• attack.execution
• attack.privilege-escalation
• attack.lateral-movement
• attack.t1021.002
• attack.t1543.003
• attack.t1569.002

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1021.002
• T1543.003
• T1569.002

References

• https://www.sans.org/webcasts/119395
• https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/getting-the-bacon-from-cobalt-strike-beacon/
• https://thedfirreport.com/2021/08/29/cobalt-strike-a-defenders-guide/

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/system/service_control_manager/win_system_cobaltstrike_service_installs.yml