huntrule

Windows Process Execution Indicative of Ryuk-Style Ransomware Behavior

Flags suspicious Windows process command lines combining autorun persistence, public staging, file backup wiping, and service stoppage behavior.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v5
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Vasiliy Burov, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2019-12-16
Updated
2026-07-31
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 flags Windows process creation activity that matches a combination of behaviors commonly seen in Ryuk-style ransomware operations. It looks for command-line activity related to persistence via Run key paths and public directories, file deletion patterns for backups, and network stop execution using specific net.exe images with related service names. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry that includes command lines and the executed image path, and it triggers when any one of the defined match groups is satisfied.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1547.001 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious SOCKS Proxy Persistence via SystemBC PowerShell Run Key
Suspicious Run Key Persistence Referencing PowerShell Script via registry_set
Malicious Startup Persistence via WindowsDefenderSync Shortcut (via file_event)
Malicious PXA Stealer Persistence via Windows Update Service Run Key (via registry_set)
Suspicious NetSupport client32 Persistence via Run Key from ProgramData
Suspicious Run Key Persistence Named NvidiaDriverUpdate (via registry_set)
Suspicious HTA File Dropped into Startup Folder
Suspicious Registry Run Key Referencing Public Libraries Folder (via registry_set)
Malicious Registry Run Key Persistence Using Scarlet Goldfinch OFFICE and DIVXX Values (via registry_set)
Windows Process Execution Indicative of Ryuk-Style Ransomware Behavior
Pivot detection · T1547.001 · 9 related

Changelog

v5
  1. v5
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v4
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  3. v3
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  4. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  5. 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.