Windows Browser Launched with Remote Debugging Flags
Alerts on Windows launches of Chromium-based browsers or Firefox with remote debugging command-line flags.
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- pH-T (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
- Published
- 2022-07-27
- Updated
- 2026-07-31
ATT&CK techniques
CollectionRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule identifies when a Chromium-based browser is started with command-line arguments containing --remote-debugging-, or when Firefox is started with -start-debugger-server. Remote debugging enables an external control interface that attackers can abuse for browser manipulation and related injection workflows. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry, matching on the process command line (and Firefox image path suffix for that case).
Reporting behind it
- yoroi.companyhttps://yoroi.company/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/EternityGroup_report_compressed.pdf
- mdsec.co.ukhttps://www.mdsec.co.uk/2022/10/analysing-lastpass-part-1/
- github.comhttps://github.com/defaultnamehere/cookie_crimes/
- github.comhttps://github.com/wunderwuzzi23/firefox-cookiemonster
- github.comhttps://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_browsers_remote_debugging.yml
Changelog
v2- v2Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
- v1No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
title: Windows Browser Launched with Remote Debugging Flags
id: a3618bea-dafa-40a8-91d2-f173cb490e34
related:
- id: 3e8207c5-fcd2-4ea6-9418-15d45b4890e4
type: derived
- id: b3d34dc5-2efd-4ae3-845f-8ec14921f449
type: derived
status: test
description: This rule identifies when a Chromium-based browser is started with command-line arguments containing --remote-debugging-, or when Firefox is started with -start-debugger-server. Remote debugging enables an external control interface that attackers can abuse for browser manipulation and related injection workflows. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry, matching on the process command line (and Firefox image path suffix for that case).
references:
- https://yoroi.company/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/EternityGroup_report_compressed.pdf
- https://www.mdsec.co.uk/2022/10/analysing-lastpass-part-1/
- https://github.com/defaultnamehere/cookie_crimes/
- https://github.com/wunderwuzzi23/firefox-cookiemonster
- https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_browsers_remote_debugging.yml
author: pH-T (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2022-07-27
modified: 2022-12-23
tags:
- attack.credential-access
- attack.collection
- attack.t1185
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_chromium_based:
CommandLine|contains: " --remote-debugging-"
selection_firefox:
Image|endswith: \firefox.exe
CommandLine|contains: " -start-debugger-server"
condition: 1 of selection_*
falsepositives:
- Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1