Sigma rule: Suspicious WMIC Execution Via Office Process

Rule

Title

Suspicious WMIC Execution Via Office Process

Status

test

Level

high

Author

Vadim Khrykov, Cyb3rEng

Date

2021-08-23

Modified

2023-02-14

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_wmic_susp_execution_via_office_process.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Office application called wmic to proxye execution through a LOLBIN process. This is often used to break suspicious parent-child chain (Office app spawns LOLBin).

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_parent:
    ParentImage|endswith:
        - '\WINWORD.EXE'
        - '\EXCEL.EXE'
        - '\POWERPNT.exe'
        - '\MSPUB.exe'
        - '\VISIO.exe'
        - '\MSACCESS.EXE'
        - '\EQNEDT32.EXE'
        - '\ONENOTE.EXE'
        - '\wordpad.exe'
        - '\wordview.exe'
selection_wmic_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\wbem\WMIC.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'wmic.exe'
selection_wmic_cli:
    CommandLine|contains|all:
        - 'process'
        - 'create'
        - 'call'
    CommandLine|contains:
        # Add more suspicious LOLBINs as you see fit
        - 'regsvr32'
        - 'rundll32'
        - 'msiexec'
        - 'mshta'
        - 'verclsid'
        - 'wscript'
        - 'cscript'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unknown

Tags

• attack.stealth
• attack.t1204.002
• attack.t1047
• attack.t1218.010
• attack.execution

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1047
• T1204.002
• T1218.010

Related rules

• 438025f9-5856-4663-83f7-52f878a70a50 (derived)
• 518643ba-7d9c-4fa5-9f37-baed36059f6a (obsolete)
• 9d1c72f5-43f0-4da5-9320-648cf2099dd0 (obsolete)
• c0e1c3d5-4381-4f18-8145-2583f06a1fe5 (obsolete)
• 04f5363a-6bca-42ff-be70-0d28bf629ead (obsolete)

References

• https://thedfirreport.com/2021/03/29/sodinokibi-aka-revil-ransomware/
• https://github.com/vadim-hunter/Detection-Ideas-Rules/blob/02bcbfc2bfb8b4da601bb30de0344ae453aa1afe/Threat%20Intelligence/The%20DFIR%20Report/20210329_Sodinokibi_(aka_REvil)_Ransomware.yaml

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_wmic_susp_execution_via_office_process.yml