huntrule

Windows PowerShell ScriptBlock alerts for DSInternals cmdlets

Triggers when PowerShell script blocks include DSInternals cmdlets tied to AD/Azure AD key and password auditing or manipulation.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Category
ps_script
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2024-06-26
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Execution

  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 PowerShell ScriptBlock executions that contain specific DSInternals module cmdlets. These cmdlets can be used for sensitive Active Directory and Azure AD-related operations, including password and key auditing, offline ntds.dit handling, and recovery key material collection. It relies on Script Block Logging to provide the ScriptBlockText content of PowerShell execution so the listed cmdlets can be matched.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.001 — drag to rearrange
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Suspicious PowerShell EncodedCommand Spawned From Command Shell via Process Creation
Suspicious Script Download via Curl and PowerShell by Dohdoor
Malicious Mass Hyper-V Virtual Machine Shutdown via PowerShell by Kraken Ransomware
Suspicious PowerShell WebClient DownloadFile of Archive Payload (UAT-7237)
Suspicious SharePoint Worker Process Spawning Command Interpreter via ToolShell
Malicious Emmenhtal JavaScript Loader Spawning Encoded PowerShell
Suspicious Python Interpreter Launching Encoded PowerShell via subprocess
Windows PowerShell ScriptBlock alerts for DSInternals cmdlets
Pivot detection · T1059.001 · 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.