Sigma rule: Changing Existing Service ImagePath Value Via Reg.EXE

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-5421d2877aa6, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Changing Existing Service ImagePath Value Via Reg.EXE
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
frack113
Date
2021-12-30
Modified
2024-03-13
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_reg_service_imagepath_change.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the Registry entries used by services.
Adversaries may use flaws in the permissions for registry to redirect from the originally specified executable to one that they control, in order to launch their own code at Service start.
Windows stores local service configuration information in the Registry under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    Image|endswith: '\reg.exe'
    CommandLine|contains|all:
        - 'add '
        - 'SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\'
        - ' ImagePath '
selection_value:
    CommandLine|contains|windash: ' -d '
condition: all of selection*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.persistence
  • attack.execution
  • attack.stealth
  • attack.t1574.011

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/process_creation/proc_creation_win_reg_service_imagepath_change.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Changing Existing Service ImagePath Value Via Reg.EXE" by frack113 (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_reg_service_imagepath_change.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: Changing Existing Service ImagePath Value Via Reg.EXE",
entity page, dataset version ref-5421d2877aa6, updated 2024-03-13T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/9b0b7ac3-6223-47aa-a3fd-e8f211e637db (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 9b0b7ac3-6223-47aa-a3fd-e8f211e637db, 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.