Sigma rule: Change PowerShell Policies to an Insecure Level

Rule

Title

Change PowerShell Policies to an Insecure Level

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

frack113

Date

2021-11-01

Modified

2025-10-07

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_powershell_set_policies_to_unsecure_level.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects changing the PowerShell script execution policy to a potentially insecure level using the "-ExecutionPolicy" flag.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - OriginalFileName:
          - 'powershell_ise.exe'
          - 'PowerShell.EXE'
          - 'pwsh.dll'
    - Image|endswith:
          - '\powershell_ise.exe'
          - '\powershell.exe'
          - '\pwsh.exe'
selection_option:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - '-executionpolicy '
        - ' -ep '
        - ' -exec '
selection_level:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'Bypass'
        - 'Unrestricted'
filter_main_powershell_core:
    ParentImage:
        - 'C:\Windows\SysWOW64\msiexec.exe'
        - 'C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe'
    CommandLine|contains:
        - '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\'
        - '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Program Files (x86)\PowerShell\7\'
filter_optional_avast:
    ParentImage|contains:
        - 'C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast\'
        - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Avast Software\Avast\'
        - '\instup.exe'
    CommandLine|contains:
        - '-ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File "C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast'
        - '-ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File "C:\Program Files (x86)\Avast Software\Avast\'
condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Administrator scripts

Tags

• attack.execution
• attack.t1059.001

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1059.001

Related rules

• cf2e938e-9a3e-4fe8-a347-411642b28a9f (similar)
• 61d0475c-173f-4844-86f7-f3eebae1c66b (similar)
• fad91067-08c5-4d1a-8d8c-d96a21b37814 (similar)

References

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.security/set-executionpolicy?view=powershell-7.4
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_execution_policies?view=powershell-7.4
• https://adsecurity.org/?p=2604
• https://thedfirreport.com/2021/11/01/from-zero-to-domain-admin/

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_set_policies_to_unsecure_level.yml