Sigma rule: LiveKD Kernel Memory Dump File Created

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-eab0c9532c29, updated 2023-05-16T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
LiveKD Kernel Memory Dump File Created
Status
test
Level
high
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2023-05-16
File
rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_livekd_default_dump_name.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the creation of a file that has the same name as the default LiveKD kernel memory dump.

Log source

product
windows
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    TargetFilename: 'C:\Windows\livekd.dmp'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • In rare occasions administrators might leverage LiveKD to perform live kernel debugging. This should not be allowed on production systems. Investigate and apply additional filters where necessary.

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.stealth

References

  • Internal Research

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/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_livekd_default_dump_name.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "LiveKD Kernel Memory Dump File Created" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_sysinternals_livekd_default_dump_name.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: LiveKD Kernel Memory Dump File Created",
entity page, dataset version ref-eab0c9532c29, updated 2023-05-16T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/814ddeca-3d31-4265-8e07-8cc54fb44903 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 814ddeca-3d31-4265-8e07-8cc54fb44903, 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.