Sigma rule: COLDSTEEL RAT Cleanup Command Execution

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-1d7060746aa0, updated 2023-04-30T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
COLDSTEEL RAT Cleanup Command Execution
Status
test
Level
critical
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2023-04-30
File
rules-emerging-threats/2023/Malware/COLDSTEEL/proc_creation_win_malware_coldsteel_cleanup.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the creation of a "rundll32" process from the ColdSteel persistence service to initiate the cleanup command by calling one of its own exports. This functionality is not present in "MileStone2017" and some "MileStone2016" samples

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    ParentImage|endswith: '\svchost.exe'
    ParentCommandLine|contains:
        - ' -k msupdate'
        - ' -k msupdate2'
        - ' -k alg'
    Image|endswith: '\rundll32.exe'
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'UpdateDriverForPlugAndPlayDevicesW'
        - 'ServiceMain'
        - 'DiUninstallDevice'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unlikely

Tags

  • attack.persistence
  • detection.emerging-threats
  • 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-emerging-threats/2023/Malware/COLDSTEEL/proc_creation_win_malware_coldsteel_cleanup.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "COLDSTEEL RAT Cleanup Command Execution" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules-emerging-threats/2023/Malware/COLDSTEEL/proc_creation_win_malware_coldsteel_cleanup.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: COLDSTEEL RAT Cleanup Command Execution",
entity page, dataset version ref-1d7060746aa0, updated 2023-04-30T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/88516f06-ebe0-47ad-858e-ae9fd060ddea (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 88516f06-ebe0-47ad-858e-ae9fd060ddea, 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.