Windows Process Creation: Executable Image Missing Absolute Path (Possible Process Ghosting)

title: "Windows Process Creation: Executable Image Missing Absolute Path (Possible Process Ghosting)"
id: e4f113b0-db82-46f3-8891-7de774add559
status: test
description: This rule flags Windows process creation events where the Image field does not contain a backslash, indicating the executable path is not absolute and may not exist on disk when logged. Attackers can use process-ghosting or other non-standard process creation techniques to create processes whose executable image is obscured or missing. The detection relies on process creation telemetry fields for Image and CommandLine values to identify cases that match the rule’s excluded/allowed patterns.
references:
  - https://pentestlaboratories.com/2021/12/08/process-ghosting/
  - https://www.elastic.co/blog/process-ghosting-a-new-executable-image-tampering-attack
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_susp_image_missing.yml
author: Max Altgelt (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2021-12-09
modified: 2026-07-05
tags:
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.t1055
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  filter_main_image_absolute_path:
    Image|contains: \
  filter_optional_null:
    Image: null
  filter_optional_empty:
    Image:
      - "-"
      - ""
  filter_optional_4688:
    - Image:
        - MemCompression
        - Registry
        - System
        - vmmem
        - vmmemWSL
    - CommandLine:
        - MemCompression
        - Registry
        - vmmem
        - vmmemWSL
  condition: not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 71158e3f-df67-472b-930e-7d287acaa3e1
    type: derived