huntrule

Windows mpiexec.exe LOLBin: Flag combination with -n/n 1 for potential arbitrary execution

Alerts on Windows executions of mpiexec.exe with /n 1 or -n 1, correlated to a specific imphash, indicating LOLBin-style behavior.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-01-11
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

  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 flags process creation events where mpiexec.exe is launched and the command line contains a specific -n or /n flag set to 1. This matters because certain mpiexec.exe usage patterns can be abused to launch other binaries, turning a legitimate HPC component into a proxy execution mechanism. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry, matching the process image ending in \mpiexec.exe and a particular imp-hash plus command-line substrings.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious regsvcs LOLBin Loading Ransomware DLL from UNC Path
Suspicious RegAsm or RegSvcs Spawned by Script Host (via process_creation)
Suspicious Extexport DLL Side-Loading Execution
Malicious ClickFix Execution Chain Spawning MSHTA via Pcalua on EtherRAT Infection
Suspicious TALONITE Certutil LOLBIN Decode and Download Abuse (via process_creation)
Suspicious Renamed git Binary gcmd.exe Execution (via process_creation)
Windows mpiexec.exe LOLBin: Flag combination with -n/n 1 for potential arbitrary execution
Pivot detection · T1218 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
  1. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. 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.