Windows: 7-Zip Extraction of Password-Protected Archives Using -p

Flags 7-Zip (7z/7za/7zr) command lines that include -p with x extraction and -o output, indicating password-protected archive extraction.

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windows-7-zip-extraction-of-password-protected-archives-using-p-b717b8fd

title: "Windows: 7-Zip Extraction of Password-Protected Archives Using -p"
id: 0da3eab4-b114-485f-ab90-1f572c02e169
status: test
description: This rule identifies Windows process executions of 7-Zip (7z.exe, 7za.exe, or 7zr.exe) when the command line includes patterns consistent with extracting a password-protected archive (e.g., using the -p option together with the x extraction mode and -o output path). Attackers may use archive password protection to conceal payloads during delivery and then automate extraction. The detection relies on process creation telemetry capturing the process image name and command line arguments.
references:
  - https://blog.cyble.com/2022/06/07/bumblebee-loader-on-the-rise/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules-threat-hunting/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_7zip_password_extraction.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2023-03-10
modified: 2026-06-05
tags:
  - attack.collection
  - attack.t1560.001
  - detection.threat-hunting
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_img:
    - Description|contains: 7-Zip
    - Image|endswith:
        - \7z.exe
        - \7za.exe
        - \7zr.exe
    - OriginalFileName:
        - 7z.exe
        - 7za.exe
        - 7zr.exe
  selection_password:
    CommandLine|contains|all:
      - " -p"
      - " x "
      - " -o"
  condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate activity is expected since extracting files with a password can be common in some environment.
level: low
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: b717b8fd-6467-4d7d-b3d3-27f9a463af77
    type: derived

What it detects

This rule identifies Windows process executions of 7-Zip (7z.exe, 7za.exe, or 7zr.exe) when the command line includes patterns consistent with extracting a password-protected archive (e.g., using the -p option together with the x extraction mode and -o output path). Attackers may use archive password protection to conceal payloads during delivery and then automate extraction. The detection relies on process creation telemetry capturing the process image name and command line arguments.

Known false positives

Legitimate activity is expected since extracting files with a password can be common in some environment.

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