Sigma rule: Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Functionality Abuse

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-b4464a4c27e3, updated 2023-06-20T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Functionality Abuse
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
X__Junior (Nextron Systems)
Date
2023-06-20
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_rundll32_shelldispatch_potential_abuse.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects potential "ShellDispatch.dll" functionality abuse to execute arbitrary binaries via "ShellExecute"

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\rundll32.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'RUNDLL32.EXE'
selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains: 'RunDll_ShellExecuteW'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unlikely

Tags

  • attack.execution
  • attack.stealth

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_rundll32_shelldispatch_potential_abuse.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Functionality Abuse" by X__Junior (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_rundll32_shelldispatch_potential_abuse.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: Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Functionality Abuse",
entity page, dataset version ref-b4464a4c27e3, updated 2023-06-20T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/82343930-652f-43f5-ab70-2ee9fdd6d5e9 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 82343930-652f-43f5-ab70-2ee9fdd6d5e9, 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.