Windows Image Load: System.Management.Automation DLL Loaded by Non-PowerShell Process

Alerts when a non-PowerShell executable loads System.Management.Automation.dll on Windows, indicating possible PowerShell execution in another process.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v2

Product: windows
Category: image_load
Author: Tom Kern, oscd.community, Natalia Shornikova, Tim Shelton, Roberto Rodriguez (Cyb3rWard0g), OTR (Open Threat Research) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2026-07-31

Analysis Detection

ATT&CK techniques

Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags Windows image load events where a non-PowerShell process loads PowerShell’s core automation DLLs (System.Management.Automation and variants). Loading these PowerShell assemblies outside of pwsh/powershell or related known binaries can indicate attempts to execute PowerShell functionality from an unexpected host process. The detection relies on image-load telemetry that captures the loaded module path, along with process image context to exclude common PowerShell and other permitted loaders.

Reporting behind it

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Windows Image Load: System.Management.Automation DLL Loaded by Non-PowerShell Process

Pivot detection · T1059.001 · 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-non-powershell-process-loads-powershell-system-management-automation-dll-092bc4b9

title: "Windows Image Load: System.Management.Automation DLL Loaded by Non-PowerShell Process"
id: 659cd9a9-761c-4ede-b9ce-90401d1e1ad7
related:
  - id: 867613fb-fa60-4497-a017-a82df74a172c
    type: obsolete
  - id: fe6e002f-f244-4278-9263-20e4b593827f
    type: obsolete
  - id: 092bc4b9-3d1d-43b4-a6b4-8c8acd83522f
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags Windows image load events where a non-PowerShell process loads PowerShell’s core automation DLLs (System.Management.Automation and variants). Loading these PowerShell assemblies outside of pwsh/powershell or related known binaries can indicate attempts to execute PowerShell functionality from an unexpected host process. The detection relies on image-load telemetry that captures the loaded module path, along with process image context to exclude common PowerShell and other permitted loaders.
references:
  - https://adsecurity.org/?p=2921
  - https://github.com/p3nt4/PowerShdll
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_dll_system_management_automation_susp_load.yml
author: Tom Kern, oscd.community, Natalia Shornikova, Tim Shelton, Roberto Rodriguez (Cyb3rWard0g), OTR (Open Threat Research), Huntrule Team
date: 2019-11-14
modified: 2026-07-28
tags:
  - attack.t1059.001
  - attack.execution
logsource:
  category: image_load
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    - Description: System.Management.Automation
    - OriginalFileName: System.Management.Automation.dll
    - ImageLoaded|endswith:
        - \System.Management.Automation.dll
        - \System.Management.Automation.ni.dll
  filter_main_powershell:
    Image:
      - C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7-preview\pwsh.exe
      - C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell_ise.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
      - C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell_ise.exe
      - C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
  filter_main_pwsh_preview:
    Image|contains:
      - C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.PowerShellPreview
      - \AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\Microsoft.PowerShellPreview
    Image|endswith: \pwsh.exe
  filter_main_generic:
    Image:
      - C:\Windows\System32\dsac.exe
      - C:\WINDOWS\System32\RemoteFXvGPUDisablement.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\runscripthelper.exe
      - C:\WINDOWS\System32\sdiagnhost.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\ServerManager.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\SyncAppvPublishingServer.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\winrshost.exe
      - C:\Windows\System32\wsmprovhost.exe
      - C:\Windows\SysWOW64\winrshost.exe
      - C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wsmprovhost.exe
  filter_main_dotnet:
    Image|startswith:
      - C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\
      - C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\FrameworkArm\
      - C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\FrameworkArm64\
      - C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\
    Image|endswith: \mscorsvw.exe
  filter_optional_gethelp:
    Image|startswith: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.GetHelp_
    Image|endswith: \GetHelp.exe
  filter_optional_sql_server_mgmt:
    Image|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
      - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
    Image|endswith: \IDE\Ssms.exe
  filter_optional_sql_server_tools:
    Image|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\
      - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\
    Image|endswith: \Tools\Binn\SQLPS.exe
  filter_optional_citrix:
    Image|endswith: \Citrix\ConfigSync\ConfigSyncRun.exe
  filter_optional_vs:
    Image|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\
      - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\
  filter_optional_chocolatey:
    Image|startswith: C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\choco.exe
  filter_optional_nextron:
    Image|startswith: C:\Windows\Temp\asgard2-agent\
    Image|endswith:
      - \thor64.exe
      - \thor.exe
  filter_optional_aurora:
    Image: null
  condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
  - Used by some .NET binaries, minimal on user workstation.
  - Used by Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1

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