Sigma rule: Renamed PsExec

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-4e0b0c65c10f, updated 2023-03-04T00:00:00.000Z.

SigmaHQ marks this rule as deprecated.

Rule

Title
Renamed PsExec
Status
deprecated
Level
high
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
Date
2019/05/21
Modified
2023/03/04
File
deprecated/windows/proc_creation_win_renamed_psexec.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the execution of a renamed PsExec often used by attackers or malware

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    Description: 'Execute processes remotely'
    Product: 'Sysinternals PsExec'
filter:
    Image|endswith:
        - '\PsExec.exe'
        - '\PsExec64.exe'
condition: selection and not filter

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Software that illegaly integrates PsExec in a renamed form
  • Administrators that have renamed PsExec and no one knows why

Tags

  • car.2013-05-009
  • attack.defense_evasion
  • attack.t1036.003

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/deprecated/windows/proc_creation_win_renamed_psexec.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Renamed PsExec" by Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/deprecated/windows/proc_creation_win_renamed_psexec.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: Renamed PsExec",
entity page, dataset version ref-4e0b0c65c10f, updated 2023-03-04T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/a7a7e0e5-1d57-49df-9c58-9fe5bc0346a2 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule a7a7e0e5-1d57-49df-9c58-9fe5bc0346a2, 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.