Sigma rule: Suspicious Binary In User Directory Spawned From Office Application

Rule

Title

Suspicious Binary In User Directory Spawned From Office Application

Status

test

Level

high

Author

Jason Lynch

Date

2019-04-02

Modified

2023-02-04

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_office_spawn_exe_from_users_directory.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects an executable in the users directory started from one of the Microsoft Office suite applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio)

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection:
    ParentImage|endswith:
        - '\WINWORD.EXE'
        - '\EXCEL.EXE'
        - '\POWERPNT.exe'
        - '\MSPUB.exe'
        - '\VISIO.exe'
        - '\MSACCESS.exe'
        - '\EQNEDT32.exe'
        # - '\OUTLOOK.EXE' too many FPs
    Image|startswith: 'C:\users\'
    Image|endswith: '.exe'
filter:
    Image|endswith: '\Teams.exe'
condition: selection and not filter

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unknown

Tags

• attack.execution
• attack.t1204.002
• attack.g0046
• car.2013-05-002

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• G0046
• T1204.002

References

• https://blog.morphisec.com/fin7-not-finished-morphisec-spots-new-campaign
• https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/23160972c6ae07f740800fa28e421a81d7c0ca5d5cab95bc082b4a986fbac57

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_office_spawn_exe_from_users_directory.yml