Sigma rule: HackTool - winPEAS Execution

Rule

Title

HackTool - winPEAS Execution

Status

test

Level

high

Author

Georg Lauenstein (sure[secure])

Date

2022-09-19

Modified

2023-03-23

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_winpeas.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

WinPEAS is a script that search for possible paths to escalate privileges on Windows hosts. The checks are explained on book.hacktricks.xyz

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - OriginalFileName: 'winPEAS.exe'
    - Image|endswith:
          - '\winPEASany_ofs.exe'
          - '\winPEASany.exe'
          - '\winPEASx64_ofs.exe'
          - '\winPEASx64.exe'
          - '\winPEASx86_ofs.exe'
          - '\winPEASx86.exe'
selection_cli_option:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' applicationsinfo' # Search installed applications information
        - ' browserinfo' # Search browser information
        - ' eventsinfo' # Display interesting events information
        - ' fileanalysis' # Search specific files that can contains credentials and for regexes inside files
        - ' filesinfo' # Search generic files that can contains credentials
        - ' processinfo' # Search processes information
        - ' servicesinfo' # Search services information
        - ' windowscreds' # Search windows credentials
selection_cli_dl:
    CommandLine|contains: 'https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng/releases/latest/download/'
selection_cli_specific:
    - ParentCommandLine|endswith: ' -linpeas'
    - CommandLine|endswith: ' -linpeas'
condition: 1 of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unlikely

Tags

• attack.privilege-escalation
• attack.discovery
• attack.t1082
• attack.t1087
• attack.t1046

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1046
• T1082
• T1087

References

• https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng
• https://book.hacktricks.xyz/windows-hardening/windows-local-privilege-escalation

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_hktl_winpeas.yml