Sigma rule: Installation of WSL Kali-Linux

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-63071c18e867, updated 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Installation of WSL Kali-Linux
Status
experimental
Level
high
Author
Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
Date
2025-10-10
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_wsl_kali_linux_installation.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects installation of Kali Linux distribution through Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
Attackers may use Kali Linux WSL to leverage its penetration testing tools and capabilities for malicious purposes.

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection_wsl_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\wsl.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'wsl'
selection_wsl_install:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - ' --install '
        - ' -i '
selection_wsl_kali:
    CommandLine|contains: 'kali'
condition: all of selection_wsl_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate installation or usage of Kali Linux WSL by administrators or security teams

Tags

  • attack.execution
  • attack.t1059

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/process_creation/proc_creation_win_wsl_kali_linux_installation.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Installation of WSL Kali-Linux" by Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_wsl_kali_linux_installation.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: Installation of WSL Kali-Linux",
entity page, dataset version ref-63071c18e867, updated 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/eca8ae39-5c3c-4321-b538-9e64fe25822e (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule eca8ae39-5c3c-4321-b538-9e64fe25822e, 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.