huntrule

Windows: Detect sc.exe Creating Kernel Driver Services

Flags sc.exe service creation where the command-line specifies a kernel driver type and binPath.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-07-14
Updated
2026-07-30
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule identifies process executions of sc.exe that include commands to create a service configured with type set to kernel and a binPath for the driver. Attackers can use this to install malicious kernel-mode drivers for persistence and elevated control. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry capturing the sc.exe image path and the command-line parameters.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1543.003 — drag to rearrange
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Suspicious TermService ServiceDll Hijack via Registry (via registry_set)
Suspicious Service Creation Named RDP-Controller via sc.exe (via process_creation)
Suspicious Service or Task Named windowsinspectionupdate (via process_creation)
Malicious Service Persistence via sc.exe Creating msdnetsvc
Suspicious Stately Taurus Masqueraded Service and Task Persistence via process_creation
Malicious Vulnerable Driver Load for EDR Evasion (via image_load)
Malicious Gelsemium OwlProxy wmipd DLL Load via image_load
Windows: Detect sc.exe Creating Kernel Driver Services
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.