Suspicious Kernel Mode Service Creation via SC

PremiumReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-05-03
Updated
2026-08-28

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Defense Evasion

  6. Cred Access

  7. Discovery

  8. Lateral Movement

  9. Collection

  10. C2

  11. Exfiltration

  12. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of a kernel-mode service using sc with a kernel type flag, the mechanism used to load a driver during the ReadText34 ransomware incident as part of a bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver attack. Registering a kernel service outside of software installation is anomalous. Attackers exploit this to load vulnerable drivers that disable endpoint protection.

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Possible Driver Enumeration via Driverquery for Rootkit Discovery
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Suspicious Kernel Mode Service Creation via SC
Pivot detection · T1543.003 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.