Sigma rule: PsExec Service Execution

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-a21a3e48032d, updated 2023-02-28T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
PsExec Service Execution
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Thomas Patzke, Romaissa Adjailia, Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)
Date
2017-06-12
Modified
2023-02-28
File
rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sysinternals_psexesvc.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects launch of the PSEXESVC service, which means that this system was the target of a psexec remote execution

Log source

product
windows
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    - Image: 'C:\Windows\PSEXESVC.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'psexesvc.exe'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate administrative tasks

Tags

  • attack.execution

Related rules

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_sysinternals_psexesvc.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "PsExec Service Execution" by Thomas Patzke, Romaissa Adjailia, Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sysinternals_psexesvc.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: PsExec Service Execution",
entity page, dataset version ref-a21a3e48032d, updated 2023-02-28T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/fdfcbd78-48f1-4a4b-90ac-d82241e368c5 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule fdfcbd78-48f1-4a4b-90ac-d82241e368c5, 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.