Sigma rule: Potential Binary Impersonating Sysinternals Tools

Rule

Title

Potential Binary Impersonating Sysinternals Tools

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

frack113, Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)

Date

2021-12-20

Modified

2025-04-12

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sysinternals_tools_masquerading.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects binaries that use the same name as legitimate sysinternals tools to evade detection.
This rule looks for the execution of binaries that are named similarly to Sysinternals tools.
Adversary may rename their malicious tools as legitimate Sysinternals tools to evade detection.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_exe:
    Image|endswith:
        - '\accesschk.exe'
        - '\accesschk64.exe'
        - '\AccessEnum.exe'
        - '\ADExplorer.exe'
        - '\ADExplorer64.exe'
        - '\ADInsight.exe'
        - '\ADInsight64.exe'
        - '\adrestore.exe'
        - '\adrestore64.exe'
        - '\Autologon.exe'
        - '\Autologon64.exe'
        - '\Autoruns.exe'
        - '\Autoruns64.exe'
        - '\autorunsc.exe'
        - '\autorunsc64.exe'
        - '\Bginfo.exe'
        - '\Bginfo64.exe'
        - '\Cacheset.exe'
        - '\Cacheset64.exe'
        - '\Clockres.exe'
        - '\Clockres64.exe'
        - '\Contig.exe'
        - '\Contig64.exe'
        - '\Coreinfo.exe'
        - '\Coreinfo64.exe'
        - '\CPUSTRES.EXE'
        - '\CPUSTRES64.EXE'
        - '\ctrl2cap.exe'
        - '\Dbgview.exe'
        - '\dbgview64.exe'
        - '\Desktops.exe'
        - '\Desktops64.exe'
        - '\disk2vhd.exe'
        - '\disk2vhd64.exe'
        - '\diskext.exe'
        - '\diskext64.exe'
        - '\Diskmon.exe'
        - '\Diskmon64.exe'
        - '\DiskView.exe'
        - '\DiskView64.exe'
        - '\du.exe'
        - '\du64.exe'
        - '\efsdump.exe'
        - '\FindLinks.exe'
        - '\FindLinks64.exe'
        - '\handle.exe'
        - '\handle64.exe'
        - '\hex2dec.exe'
        - '\hex2dec64.exe'
        - '\junction.exe'
        - '\junction64.exe'
        - '\ldmdump.exe'
        - '\listdlls.exe'
        - '\listdlls64.exe'
        - '\livekd.exe'
        - '\livekd64.exe'
        - '\loadOrd.exe'
        - '\loadOrd64.exe'
        - '\loadOrdC.exe'
        - '\loadOrdC64.exe'
        - '\logonsessions.exe'
        - '\logonsessions64.exe'
        - '\movefile.exe'
        - '\movefile64.exe'
        - '\notmyfault.exe'
        - '\notmyfault64.exe'
        - '\notmyfaultc.exe'
        - '\notmyfaultc64.exe'
        - '\ntfsinfo.exe'
        - '\ntfsinfo64.exe'
        - '\pendmoves.exe'
        - '\pendmoves64.exe'
        - '\pipelist.exe'
        - '\pipelist64.exe'
        - '\portmon.exe'
        - '\procdump.exe'
        - '\procdump64.exe'
        - '\procexp.exe'
        - '\procexp64.exe'
        - '\Procmon.exe'
        - '\Procmon64.exe'
        - '\psExec.exe'
        - '\psExec64.exe'
        - '\psfile.exe'
        - '\psfile64.exe'
        - '\psGetsid.exe'
        - '\psGetsid64.exe'
        - '\psInfo.exe'
        - '\psInfo64.exe'
        - '\pskill.exe'
        - '\pskill64.exe'
        - '\pslist.exe'
        - '\pslist64.exe'
        - '\psLoggedon.exe'
        - '\psLoggedon64.exe'
        - '\psloglist.exe'
        - '\psloglist64.exe'
        - '\pspasswd.exe'
        - '\pspasswd64.exe'
        - '\psping.exe'
        - '\psping64.exe'
        - '\psService.exe'
        - '\psService64.exe'
        - '\psshutdown.exe'
        - '\psshutdown64.exe'
        - '\pssuspend.exe'
        - '\pssuspend64.exe'
        - '\RAMMap.exe'
        - '\RAMMap64.exe'
        - '\RDCMan.exe'
        - '\RegDelNull.exe'
        - '\RegDelNull64.exe'
        - '\regjump.exe'
        - '\ru.exe'
        - '\ru64.exe'
        - '\sdelete.exe'
        - '\sdelete64.exe'
        - '\ShareEnum.exe'
        - '\ShareEnum64.exe'
        - '\shellRunas.exe'
        - '\sigcheck.exe'
        - '\sigcheck64.exe'
        - '\streams.exe'
        - '\streams64.exe'
        - '\strings.exe'
        - '\strings64.exe'
        - '\sync.exe'
        - '\sync64.exe'
        - '\Sysmon.exe'
        - '\Sysmon64.exe'
        - '\tcpvcon.exe'
        - '\tcpvcon64.exe'
        - '\tcpview.exe'
        - '\tcpview64.exe'
        - '\Testlimit.exe'
        - '\Testlimit64.exe'
        - '\vmmap.exe'
        - '\vmmap64.exe'
        - '\Volumeid.exe'
        - '\Volumeid64.exe'
        - '\whois.exe'
        - '\whois64.exe'
        - '\Winobj.exe'
        - '\Winobj64.exe'
        - '\ZoomIt.exe'
        - '\ZoomIt64.exe'
selection_arm64:
    Image|endswith:
        - '\accesschk64a.exe'
        - '\ADExplorer64a.exe'
        - '\ADInsight64a.exe'
        - '\adrestore64a.exe'
        - '\Autologon64a.exe'
        - '\Autoruns64a.exe'
        - '\autorunsc64a.exe'
        - '\Clockres64a.exe'
        - '\Contig64a.exe'
        - '\Coreinfo64a.exe'
        - '\Dbgview64a.exe'
        - '\disk2vhd64a.exe'
        - '\diskext64a.exe'
        - '\DiskView64a.exe'
        - '\du64a.exe'
        - '\FindLinks64a.exe'
        - '\handle64a.exe'
        - '\hex2dec64a.exe'
        - '\junction64a.exe'
        - '\LoadOrd64a.exe'
        - '\LoadOrdC64a.exe'
        - '\logonsessions64a.exe'
        - '\movefile64a.exe'
        - '\notmyfault64a.exe'
        - '\notmyfaultc64a.exe'
        - '\pendmoves64a.exe'
        - '\pipelist64a.exe'
        - '\procdump64a.exe'
        - '\procexp64a.exe'
        - '\Procmon64a.exe'
        - '\PsExec64a.exe'
        - '\psfile64a.exe'
        - '\PsGetsid64a.exe'
        - '\PsInfo64a.exe'
        - '\pskill64a.exe'
        - '\psloglist64a.exe'
        - '\pspasswd64a.exe'
        - '\psping64a.exe'
        - '\PsService64a.exe'
        - '\pssuspend64a.exe'
        - '\RAMMap64a.exe'
        - '\RegDelNull64a.exe'
        - '\ru64a.exe'
        - '\sdelete64a.exe'
        - '\sigcheck64a.exe'
        - '\streams64a.exe'
        - '\strings64a.exe'
        - '\sync64a.exe'
        - '\Sysmon64a.exe'
        - '\tcpvcon64a.exe'
        - '\tcpview64a.exe'
        - '\vmmap64a.exe'
        - '\whois64a.exe'
        - '\Winobj64a.exe'
        - '\ZoomIt64a.exe'
filter_valid:
    - Company:
          - 'Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com'
          - 'Sysinternals'
    - Product|startswith: 'Sysinternals'
filter_empty:
    - Company: null
    - Product: null
condition: 1 of selection_* and not 1 of filter_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unknown

Tags

• attack.execution
• attack.stealth
• attack.t1218
• attack.t1202
• attack.t1036.005

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1036.005
• T1202
• T1218

References

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite

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_sysinternals_tools_masquerading.yml