AQL

Sigma to IBM QRadar

Paste a Sigma rule, get an AQL search for on-prem QRadar SIEM — with the custom-property dependencies named. Free, no sign-up.

  1. Paste the ruleYAML in
  2. Pick your SIEMIBM QRadar · AQL
  3. Read the reportQuery, field map, gaps
certutil
Tab indents · Shift+Tab outdents · Esc then Tab leaves the fieldValid Sigmaprocess_creation · windows29 lines · 968 B
Splunk logo An information technology company based in California, United States Splunk2
Microsoft3
Elastic3
CrowdStrike1
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Google Security OperationsGoogle1
IBM1
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Rapid71
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DFIR2
1 caveat
SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND (("Process Path" ILIKE '%\certutil.exe' OR Filename ILIKE 'CertUtil.exe') AND (Command ILIKE '%-encode%' OR Command ILIKE '%/encode%')) LAST 24 HOURS
1 line · 194 B1/2 conditions

Notes — not part of the query

Target: IBM QRadar (AQL) — engine 1.0.1 — 2026-09-09

Profile: windows / process_creation → IBM QRadar

Coverage: 1/2 conditions

annotated: OriginalFileName — Kept the closest available mapping; it is not an exact equivalent.

huntrule.com — sigma 7c1e0a34-2b5f-4d18-9a63-0c8b1f4e5a71 — HuntRule Team — NOASSERTION

Verify against your own telemetry before deploying.

Verify this query against your own telemetry before deploying it — a converted rule is a starting point, not a tuned detection.

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Conversion reportwindows / process_creation → IBM QRadar3 fields mapped · 1 construct unsupportedDegraded

Converted to IBM QRadar AQL with 1 note.

Profile

Matched on product + category

Field map

Sigma fieldTarget fieldSource
CommandLineCommandgithub.com
ImageProcess Pathgithub.com
OriginalFileNameFilenameIBM's own mapping folds the PE version-resource OriginalFileName into the generic Filename property, which is the event's extracted file name rather than specifically the PE resource string; a renamed binary matches by its on-disk name here.github.com

Unsupported constructs

  • AnnotatedField mapped approximately

    OriginalFileName

    'OriginalFileName' maps approximately: IBM's own mapping folds the PE version-resource OriginalFileName into the generic Filename property, which is the event's extracted file name rather than specifically the PE resource string; a renamed binary matches by its on-disk name here.

    Kept the closest available mapping; it is not an exact equivalent.

Coverage

  1. selection_imgno longer matches the same events
  2. selection_cliexpressed

1 / 2 conditions expressed

Engine 1.0.12026-09-09Rule licensed NOASSERTION

Worked examples on IBM QRadar

Real published rules run through the same engine as the tool above — including the ones it cannot take whole.

  1. Base64 Encoding Via Built-In Windows Utilitywindows / process_creationDegraded

    Sigma

    title: Base64 Encoding Via Built-In Windows Utility
    id: 7c1e0a34-2b5f-4d18-9a63-0c8b1f4e5a71
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects a built-in utility being asked to
        base64-encode a file, which is a common way to stage data before moving it off a host.
        The flag is written out in both its dash and slash spellings, because the utility
        accepts either and a rule that names only one misses half the invocations.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-01
    tags:
        - attack.collection
        - attack.t1560.001
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection_img:
            - Image|endswith: '\certutil.exe'
            - OriginalFileName: 'CertUtil.exe'
        selection_cli:
            CommandLine|contains:
                - '-encode'
                - '/encode'
        condition: all of selection_*
    falsepositives:
        - Administrative scripts that legitimately encode files
    level: medium
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND (("Process Path" ILIKE '%\certutil.exe' OR Filename ILIKE 'CertUtil.exe') AND (Command ILIKE '%-encode%' OR Command ILIKE '%/encode%')) LAST 24 HOURS

    Converted to IBM QRadar AQL with 1 note. 1/2 conditions

  2. PowerShell Download Cradle On The Command Linewindows / process_creationClean

    Sigma

    title: PowerShell Download Cradle On The Command Line
    id: 1f9d4c02-6a77-4e5b-8c31-2d0af7b96e48
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects the download-and-run pattern where a
        remote payload is fetched and executed in one command. It exercises a value list under a
        single field, which every backend has to expand into its own OR form.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-01
    tags:
        - attack.execution
        - attack.t1059.001
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection_fetch:
            CommandLine|contains:
                - '.DownloadString('
                - '.DownloadFile('
                - 'Invoke-WebRequest '
                - 'Invoke-RestMethod '
        selection_run:
            CommandLine|contains:
                - '| IEX'
                - 'IEX ('
                - 'Invoke-Expression'
        condition: all of selection_*
    falsepositives:
        - Installers and package managers that fetch and run their own payloads
    level: high
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND ((Command ILIKE '%.DownloadString(%' OR Command ILIKE '%.DownloadFile(%' OR Command ILIKE '%Invoke-WebRequest %' OR Command ILIKE '%Invoke-RestMethod %') AND (Command ILIKE '%| IEX%' OR Command ILIKE '%IEX (%' OR Command ILIKE '%Invoke-Expression%')) LAST 24 HOURS

    Every condition converted cleanly to IBM QRadar AQL. 2/2 conditions

  3. Registry Import With A Suspicious Pathwindows / process_creationDegraded

    Sigma

    title: Registry Import With A Suspicious Path
    id: 5b3a8e91-4c26-4f70-b1d8-6e97c30a2f5d
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects a registry import whose argument does
        not look like an ordinary file path. It exercises a regular expression alongside a `not`
        filter, so the report has both a regex to check against the target's engine and a negated
        branch to place.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-01
    tags:
        - attack.defense-evasion
        - attack.t1112
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection_img:
            - Image|endswith: '\regedit.exe'
            - OriginalFileName: 'REGEDIT.EXE'
        selection_cli:
            CommandLine|contains: '.reg'
            CommandLine|re: ':[^ \\]'
        filter_flags:
            CommandLine|contains|windash:
                - ' -e '
                - ' -a '
        condition: all of selection_* and not filter_flags
    falsepositives:
        - Scripted registry maintenance
    level: high
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND (("Process Path" ILIKE '%\regedit.exe' OR Filename ILIKE 'REGEDIT.EXE') AND Command ILIKE '%.reg%' AND Command MATCHES '.*(?::[^ \\]).*' AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% -e %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% /e %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% –e %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% —e %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% ―e %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% -a %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% /a %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% –a %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% —a %'))) AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '% ―a %')))) LAST 24 HOURS

    Converted to IBM QRadar AQL with 1 note. 2/3 conditions

  4. File Copy Through The Print Utilitywindows / process_creationClean

    Sigma

    title: File Copy Through The Print Utility
    id: 3e6c17b8-9f40-4a2d-85e1-7b4d0c9a6f23
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects the print utility being used to copy an
        executable rather than to print. It exercises `startswith` together with `contains|all`, where
        several substrings must all appear in one field.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-01
    tags:
        - attack.defense-evasion
        - attack.t1218
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection:
            Image|endswith: '\print.exe'
            CommandLine|startswith: 'print'
            CommandLine|contains|all:
                - '/D'
                - '.exe'
        filter_self:
            CommandLine|contains: 'print.exe'
        condition: selection and not filter_self
    falsepositives:
        - Printing a file whose name ends in .exe
    level: medium
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND ("Process Path" ILIKE '%\print.exe' AND Command ILIKE 'print%' AND Command ILIKE '%/D%' AND Command ILIKE '%.exe%' AND ((Command IS NULL OR NOT(Command ILIKE '%print.exe%')))) LAST 24 HOURS

    Every condition converted cleanly to IBM QRadar AQL. 2/2 conditions

  5. Scheduled Task Created From A Temp Pathwindows / process_creationClean

    Sigma

    title: Scheduled Task Created From A Temp Path
    id: 9d24a3ee-8a1b-4f26-b90f-4a71e2c85d17
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects schtasks.exe registering a task whose
        command line points into a temp directory, a common persistence shape. It exercises the
        bread-and-butter Sigma form — several selections ANDed by the condition — with no exotic
        modifiers, so it converts on every shipped target.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-11
    tags:
        - attack.persistence
        - attack.t1053.005
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection_img:
            Image|endswith: '\schtasks.exe'
        selection_create:
            CommandLine|contains: '/create'
        selection_path:
            CommandLine|contains:
                - '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
                - '\Windows\Temp\'
        condition: all of selection_*
    falsepositives:
        - Installers registering update tasks from their extraction directory
    level: medium
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND ("Process Path" ILIKE '%\schtasks.exe' AND Command ILIKE '%/create%' AND (Command ILIKE '%\AppData\Local\Temp\%' OR Command ILIKE '%\Windows\Temp\%')) LAST 24 HOURS

    Every condition converted cleanly to IBM QRadar AQL. 3/3 conditions

  6. LSASS Memory Dump Via Comsvcswindows / process_creationClean

    Sigma

    title: LSASS Memory Dump Via Comsvcs
    id: 6a95c2d4-1e08-4f7b-9d52-8c41e7b30a96
    status: experimental
    description: |
        A sample rule for the huntrule.com converter. Detects the comsvcs.dll MiniDump export being
        invoked through rundll32 to dump process memory, a common LSASS credential-theft technique.
        It exercises `endswith` against the image path together with `contains|all` on one field.
    author: HuntRule Team
    date: 2026-08-10
    tags:
        - attack.credential-access
        - attack.t1003.001
    logsource:
        category: process_creation
        product: windows
    detection:
        selection_img:
            Image|endswith: '\rundll32.exe'
        selection_cli:
            CommandLine|contains|all:
                - 'comsvcs'
                - 'MiniDump'
        condition: all of selection_*
    falsepositives:
        - Administrators legitimately capturing a process dump with comsvcs
    level: high
    

    IBM QRadar · AQL

    SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND ("Process Path" ILIKE '%\rundll32.exe' AND Command ILIKE '%comsvcs%' AND Command ILIKE '%MiniDump%') LAST 24 HOURS

    Every condition converted cleanly to IBM QRadar AQL. 2/2 conditions

What to know about IBM QRadar AQL

Every query comes out in IBM's own shape: SELECT * FROM events WHERE devicetype=12 AND your conditions, ending with an explicit LAST 24 HOURS. The timeframe is not decoration — an AQL query without one silently searches only the last five minutes of data, and it runs without any error to tell you so. The devicetype filter is the log-source-type id from IBM's own Sigma tooling; QRadar has no separate Sysmon type, so Windows Security Event Log and Sysmon rules share it by design.

The honest difficulty with QRadar is that almost none of a Windows rule's fields are normalized columns. Command lines, process paths and usernames live in Custom Event Properties shipped by IBM's App Exchange content packs — Properties Dictionary plus Microsoft Windows Custom Properties — and IBM documents the failure mode this creates: a query naming a property that is not installed and enabled runs cleanly and returns nothing. That is why the report lists the content packs beside the query, and why a Sigma field with no vendor-published property is refused by name instead of being guessed at.

Case is handled with the documented operators rather than the common shortcut. Sigma matching is case-insensitive by default; AQL's LIKE is documented case-sensitive and ILIKE is its insensitive twin, so plain equality and substring predicates all ride ILIKE, and only a |cased modifier produces LIKE. A value containing a literal % or _ cannot be expressed in LIKE at all — AQL documents no escape for its wildcards — so those predicates become anchored IMATCHES regular expressions instead of silently over-matching every user profile path.

IBM QRadar AQL reference →

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Paste the rule

    Drop a Sigma rule into the left pane, or open a .yml file. The tool says what it thinks you pasted before anything is sent.

  2. Step 2

    Pick your SIEM

    Choose the target dialect. Every shipped target is free and none of them are behind a sign-up.

  3. Step 3

    Read the report

    The query comes back with the log-source profile that was used, every field it renamed, and anything the target could not express.

  4. Step 4

    Verify, then deploy

    Run it against your own telemetry in audit mode before it alerts on anything.

Questions

Paste the Sigma rule into the tool on this page and press Convert. It returns AQL for IBM QRadar, the log-source profile it matched, the field map it applied, and anything IBM QRadar cannot express. Free, no sign-up.

Usually a Custom Event Property. Most Windows fields in the query are content-pack properties such as "Process Path" and "Command", and IBM documents that an uninstalled or unenabled property runs without error and returns nothing. Install Properties Dictionary and Microsoft Windows Custom Properties from the IBM App Exchange, and verify each property is enabled. Also check the LAST clause — without one, AQL searches only the last five minutes.

On-premises QRadar SIEM, 7.5 and 7.6. QRadar's SaaS products were divested to Palo Alto Networks and reached end of life in April 2026, while IBM ships and supports the on-prem product into the 2030s. The AQL operator surface is identical across 7.5 and 7.6.

Sigma string matching is case-insensitive by default. IBM documents LIKE as case-sensitive and ILIKE as its case-insensitive twin, but never documents the case behaviour of = at all — so plain equality is spelled with ILIKE, which is exact equality when the value carries no wildcard, and |cased produces LIKE. Nothing rests on an undocumented comparison.

It will run if your field names match the profile shown in the report. Whether it matches the right events depends on your own telemetry, so verify it before deploying. The coverage figure tells you how much of the rule made it into the query.

The other pair

The same tool, with a different target preselected.

Every rule in the detection catalog is written in Sigma, so any of them converts to IBM QRadar here.