Sigma rule: Suspicious Use of PsLogList

Rule

Title

Suspicious Use of PsLogList

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Date

2021-12-18

Modified

2026-06-29

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sysinternals_psloglist.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects usage of the PsLogList utility to dump event log in order to extract admin accounts and perform account discovery or delete events logs

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - OriginalFileName: 'psloglist.exe'
    - Image|endswith:
          - '\psloglist.exe'
          - '\psloglist64.exe'
          - '\psloglist64a.exe'
selection_cli_eventlog:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' security'
        - ' application'
        - ' system'
selection_cli_flags:
    CommandLine|contains|windash:
        - ' -d'
        - ' -x'
        - ' -s'
        - ' -c' # Clear event log after displaying
        - ' -g' # Export an event log as an evt file.
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Another tool that uses the command line switches of PsLogList
• Legitimate use of PsLogList by an administrator

Tags

• attack.discovery
• attack.t1087
• attack.t1087.001
• attack.t1087.002

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1087
• T1087.001
• T1087.002

References

• https://research.nccgroup.com/2021/01/12/abusing-cloud-services-to-fly-under-the-radar/
• https://www.cybereason.com/blog/deadringer-exposing-chinese-threat-actors-targeting-major-telcos
• https://github.com/3CORESec/MAL-CL/tree/master/Descriptors/Sysinternals/PsLogList
• https://twitter.com/EricaZelic/status/1614075109827874817

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_sysinternals_psloglist.yml