Sigma rule: New Remote Desktop Connection Initiated Via Mstsc.EXE

Rule

Title

New Remote Desktop Connection Initiated Via Mstsc.EXE

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

frack113

Date

2022-01-07

Modified

2024-06-04

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_mstsc_remote_connection.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the usage of "mstsc.exe" with the "/v" flag to initiate a connection to a remote server.
Adversaries may use valid accounts to log into a computer using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The adversary may then perform actions as the logged-on user.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\mstsc.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'mstsc.exe'
selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains|windash: ' /v:'
filter_optional_wsl:
    # Example: mstsc.exe /v:XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX /hvsocketserviceid:XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX /silent /wslg /plugin:WSLDVC /wslgsharedmemorypath:WSL\XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX\wslg C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\WSL\wslg.rdp
    ParentImage: 'C:\Windows\System32\lxss\wslhost.exe'
    CommandLine|contains: 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\WSL\wslg.rdp'
condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• WSL (Windows Sub System For Linux)

Tags

• attack.lateral-movement
• attack.t1021.001

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1021.001

References

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1021.001/T1021.001.md#t1021001---remote-desktop-protocol
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/mstsc

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_mstsc_remote_connection.yml