Sigma rule: Outbound Network Connection Initiated By Script Interpreter

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-d40b08b00683, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Outbound Network Connection Initiated By Script Interpreter
Status
test
Level
high
Author
frack113, Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-08-28
Modified
2024-03-13
File
rules/windows/network_connection/net_connection_win_wscript_cscript_outbound_connection.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects a script interpreter wscript/cscript opening a network connection to a non-local network. Adversaries may use script to download malicious payloads.

Log source

product
windows
category
network_connection

Detection

selection:
    Initiated: 'true'
    Image|endswith:
        - '\wscript.exe'
        - '\cscript.exe'
filter_main_local_ranges:
    DestinationIp|cidr:
        - '127.0.0.0/8'
        - '10.0.0.0/8'
        - '172.16.0.0/12'
        - '192.168.0.0/16'
        - '169.254.0.0/16'
        - '::1/128'  # IPv6 loopback
        - 'fe80::/10'  # IPv6 link-local addresses
        - 'fc00::/7'  # IPv6 private addresses
filter_main_ms_ranges:
    DestinationIp|cidr: '20.0.0.0/11' # Microsoft range, caused some FPs
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate scripts

Tags

  • attack.command-and-control
  • attack.t1105

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

Related rules

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/network_connection/net_connection_win_wscript_cscript_outbound_connection.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Outbound Network Connection Initiated By Script Interpreter" by frack113, Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/network_connection/net_connection_win_wscript_cscript_outbound_connection.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: Outbound Network Connection Initiated By Script Interpreter",
entity page, dataset version ref-d40b08b00683, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/992a6cae-db6a-43c8-9cec-76d7195c96fc (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 992a6cae-db6a-43c8-9cec-76d7195c96fc, 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.