Sigma rule: Use Short Name Path in Image

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-9d7a38f32f85, updated 2025-10-20T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Use Short Name Path in Image
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali
Date
2022-08-07
Modified
2025-10-20
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_susp_ntfs_short_name_path_use_image.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detect use of the Windows 8.3 short name. Which could be used as a method to avoid Image detection

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    Image|contains:
        - '~1\'
        - '~2\'
filter_main_system_process:
    ParentImage:
        - 'C:\Windows\System32\Dism.exe'
        - 'C:\Windows\System32\cleanmgr.exe'  # Spawns DismHost.exe with a shortened username (if too long)
filter_main_installers:
    - Image|contains|all:
          - '\AppData\'
          - '\Temp\'
    - Image|endswith:
          - '~1\unzip.exe'
          - '~1\7zG.exe'
filter_optional_webex:
    ParentImage|endswith: '\WebEx\WebexHost.exe' # Spawns a shortened version of the CLI and Image processes
filter_optional_thor:
    ParentImage|endswith: '\thor\thor64.exe'
filter_optional_installshield:
    - Product: 'InstallShield (R)'
    - Description: 'InstallShield (R) Setup Engine'
    - Company: 'InstallShield Software Corporation'
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Applications could use this notation occasionally which might generate some false positives. In that case Investigate the parent and child process.

Tags

  • attack.stealth
  • attack.t1564.004

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/process_creation/proc_creation_win_susp_ntfs_short_name_path_use_image.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Use Short Name Path in Image" by frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_susp_ntfs_short_name_path_use_image.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: Use Short Name Path in Image",
entity page, dataset version ref-9d7a38f32f85, updated 2025-10-20T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/a96970af-f126-420d-90e1-d37bf25e50e1 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule a96970af-f126-420d-90e1-d37bf25e50e1, 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.