Sigma rule: DNS TXT Answer with Possible Execution Strings

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-0bfa8c5bc389, updated 2021-11-27T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
DNS TXT Answer with Possible Execution Strings
Status
test
Level
high
Author
Markus Neis
Date
2018-08-08
Modified
2021-11-27
File
rules/network/dns/net_dns_susp_txt_exec_strings.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects strings used in command execution in DNS TXT Answer

Log source

category
dns

Detection

selection:
    record_type: 'TXT'
    answer|contains:
        - 'IEX'
        - 'Invoke-Expression'
        - 'cmd.exe'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.command-and-control
  • attack.t1071.004

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

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/network/dns/net_dns_susp_txt_exec_strings.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "DNS TXT Answer with Possible Execution Strings" by Markus Neis (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/network/dns/net_dns_susp_txt_exec_strings.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: DNS TXT Answer with Possible Execution Strings",
entity page, dataset version ref-0bfa8c5bc389, updated 2021-11-27T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/8ae51330-899c-4641-8125-e39f2e07da72 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 8ae51330-899c-4641-8125-e39f2e07da72, 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.