Windows: Explorer factory invocation causing process tree break

Alerts on process creation command lines showing explorer.exe factory and /root usage consistent with an explorer-based process tree break.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v2

Product: windows
Category: process_creation
Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), @gott_cyber (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2026-07-31

Analysis Detection

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1036Masquerading
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags Windows process creations where the command line includes explorer.exe along with a specific /factory CLSID pattern and a /root context. This combination is indicative of a technique that can break or alter the normal process tree by spawning a new explorer instance rather than a direct child of the original parent. The detection relies on process creation telemetry with CommandLine fields to match the explorer-related markers in the invoked command line.

Reporting behind it

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Windows: Explorer factory invocation causing process tree break

Pivot detection · T1036 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No 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.

windows-explorer-process-tree-break-via-explorer-factory-and-root-flags-949f1ffb

title: "Windows: Explorer factory invocation causing process tree break"
id: e5b8e692-80c7-47d6-ae6a-3cb2b9e1a271
status: test
description: This rule flags Windows process creations where the command line includes explorer.exe along with a specific /factory CLSID pattern and a /root context. This combination is indicative of a technique that can break or alter the normal process tree by spawning a new explorer instance rather than a direct child of the original parent. The detection relies on process creation telemetry with CommandLine fields to match the explorer-related markers in the invoked command line.
references:
  - https://twitter.com/CyberRaiju/status/1273597319322058752
  - https://twitter.com/bohops/status/1276357235954909188?s=12
  - https://twitter.com/nas_bench/status/1535322450858233858
  - https://securityboulevard.com/2019/09/deobfuscating-ostap-trickbots-34000-line-javascript-downloader/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_explorer_break_process_tree.yml
author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), @gott_cyber, Huntrule Team
date: 2019-06-29
modified: 2025-10-31
tags:
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1036
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_factory:
    CommandLine|contains: /factory,{75dff2b7-6936-4c06-a8bb-676a7b00b24b}
  selection_root:
    CommandLine|contains: explorer.exe
    CommandLine|contains|windash: " /root,"
  condition: 1 of selection_*
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 949f1ffb-6e85-4f00-ae1e-c3c5b190d605
    type: derived

Convert

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