Suspicious NSSM Service Installation via process_creation

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Impact

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1543.003Windows Service
Priv Esc
- T1543.003Windows Service
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
- T1496Resource Hijacking

What it detects

This rule detects the Non-Sucking Service Manager nssm.exe being used with the install argument to register an arbitrary program as a Windows service. Head Mare and Twelve used nssm to install persistence for masqueraded tunneling tools such as rclone and gost. Because nssm is not a default Windows binary its use to install services is a strong persistence signal.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1496 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious RustDesk Remote Access Service Installation via sc (via process_creation)

Malicious Service Creation Pointing to Public Data File via sc (via process_creation)

Malicious Hadooken Cryptominer Execution via Masqueraded Binaries (via process_creation)

Suspicious Lucifer Botnet Mining Pool Domain Resolution (via dns_query)

Suspicious Proxyjacking Service Resolution Observed in perfctl Campaign (via dns_query)

Malicious PureMiner Persistence Executable in AppData HResult Folder

Suspicious T-Rex CoinMiner Binaries in Windows NT Program Files Folder (via file_event)

EAP Service Activation by Liontail Framework for DLL Sideloading - Via Command (via process_creation)

Malicious Service Permissions Hijacked for Privileges Abuse - Service (via process_creation)

Suspicious NSSM Service Installation via process_creation

Pivot detection · T1496 · 9 related

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

Full detection rule

Unlock this rule to view and copy it

The detection logic is included with a plan. Everything else — context, mappings and implementation details — stays free on this page.

Sign in for 3 free unlocks

Signing in gives you 3 unlocks to spend on any rule in the library. No card, and they do not expire.

Also included

Unlocked rules convert on this page — to Splunk SPL or Splunk — Raw Index SPL or Microsoft Sentinel KQL or Microsoft Sentinel ASIM ASIM KQL or Microsoft Defender XDR KQL or Elastic Security KQL or Elastic Security Lucene or Elastic Security ES|QL or CrowdStrike Falcon CQL or SentinelOne PowerQuery or Palo Alto Cortex XDR XQL or Carbon Black Cloud Platform Search or Carbon Black EDR Process Search or Google Security Operations UDM Search or IBM QRadar AQL or Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM Rules expression or Rapid7 InsightIDR LEQL or Graylog Search or OpenSearch Lucene or OpenSearch PPL PPL or Grafana Loki LogQL or SQLite SQL or Zircolite SQLite — with the log-source profile the engine picked, the field map it used, and everything it could not express. Converting a rule you have unlocked costs no further credit.

See it run on a free rule →Convert your own rule →