Sigma rule: Process Deletion of Its Own Executable

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-d2214022b5f4, updated 2024-09-03T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Process Deletion of Its Own Executable
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Max Altgelt (Nextron Systems)
Date
2024-09-03
File
rules/windows/file/file_delete/file_delete_win_delete_own_image.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the deletion of a process's executable by itself. This is usually not possible without workarounds and may be used by malware to hide its traces.

Log source

product
windows
category
file_delete

Detection

selection:
    TargetFilename|fieldref: Image
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Some false positives are to be expected from uninstallers.

Tags

  • attack.stealth

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_delete/file_delete_win_delete_own_image.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Process Deletion of Its Own Executable" by Max Altgelt (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/file/file_delete/file_delete_win_delete_own_image.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: Process Deletion of Its Own Executable",
entity page, dataset version ref-d2214022b5f4, updated 2024-09-03T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/f01d1f70-cd41-42ec-9c0b-26dd9c22bf29 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule f01d1f70-cd41-42ec-9c0b-26dd9c22bf29, 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.