Sigma rule: SCR File Write Event

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-ce4e1b6a3ead, updated 2023-08-23T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
SCR File Write Event
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Christopher Peacock @securepeacock, SCYTHE @scythe_io
Date
2022-04-27
Modified
2023-08-23
File
rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_new_scr_file.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the creation of screensaver files (.scr) outside of system folders. Attackers may execute an application as an ".SCR" file using "rundll32.exe desk.cpl,InstallScreenSaver" for example.

Log source

product
windows
category
file_event

Detection

selection:
    TargetFilename|endswith: '.scr'
filter:
    TargetFilename|contains:
        - ':\$WINDOWS.~BT\NewOS\'
        - ':\Windows\System32\'
        - ':\Windows\SysWOW64\'
        - ':\Windows\WinSxS\'
        - ':\WUDownloadCache\' # Windows Update Download Cache
condition: selection and not filter

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • The installation of new screen savers by third party software

Tags

  • attack.stealth
  • attack.t1218.011

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/file/file_event/file_event_win_new_scr_file.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "SCR File Write Event" by Christopher Peacock @securepeacock, SCYTHE @scythe_io (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_event/file_event_win_new_scr_file.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: SCR File Write Event",
entity page, dataset version ref-ce4e1b6a3ead, updated 2023-08-23T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/c048f047-7e2a-4888-b302-55f509d4a91d (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule c048f047-7e2a-4888-b302-55f509d4a91d, 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.