Sigma rule: Data Export From MSSQL Table Via BCP.EXE

Rule

Title

Data Export From MSSQL Table Via BCP.EXE

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

Omar Khaled (@beacon_exe), MahirAli Khan (in/mahiralikhan), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Date

2024-08-20

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_bcp_export_data.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the execution of the BCP utility in order to export data from the database.
Attackers were seen saving their malware to a database column or table and then later extracting it via "bcp.exe" into a file.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\bcp.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'BCP.exe'
selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' out ' # Export data from a table
        - ' queryout ' # Export data based on a SQL query
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Legitimate data export operations.

Tags

• attack.execution
• attack.exfiltration
• attack.t1048

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1048

References

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/bcp-utility
• https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/61000/
• https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/78944/
• https://www.huntress.com/blog/attacking-mssql-servers
• https://www.huntress.com/blog/attacking-mssql-servers-pt-ii
• https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2024/08/07/sophos-mdr-hunt-tracks-mimic-ransomware-campaign-against-organizations-in-india/
• https://research.nccgroup.com/2018/03/10/apt15-is-alive-and-strong-an-analysis-of-royalcli-and-royaldns/

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_bcp_export_data.yml