Sigma rule: Creation Exe for Service with Unquoted Path

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-1bca3f60eb8e, updated 2021-12-30T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Creation Exe for Service with Unquoted Path
Status
test
Level
high
Author
frack113
Date
2021-12-30
File
rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_creation_unquoted_service_path.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking vulnerable file path references.
Adversaries can take advantage of paths that lack surrounding quotations by placing an executable in a higher level directory within the path, so that Windows will choose the adversary's executable to launch.

Log source

product
windows
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    # Feel free to add more
    TargetFilename: 'C:\program.exe'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.persistence
  • attack.t1547.009

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/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_creation_unquoted_service_path.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Creation Exe for Service with Unquoted Path" by frack113 (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_creation_unquoted_service_path.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: Creation Exe for Service with Unquoted Path",
entity page, dataset version ref-1bca3f60eb8e, updated 2021-12-30T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/8c3c76ca-8f8b-4b1d-aaf3-81aebcd367c9 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 8c3c76ca-8f8b-4b1d-aaf3-81aebcd367c9, 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.