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

Flags Windows process creation where the executable Image lacks an absolute path, potentially indicating process ghosting.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1

Product: windows
Category: process_creation
Author: Max Altgelt (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2021-12-09
Updated: 2026-07-30

Analysis Detection

ATT&CK techniques

Priv Esc → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
- T1055Process Injection
Defense Evasion
- T1055Process Injection
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

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.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1055 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Office Application Spawning Script Or Shell Interpreter

Suspicious Network Connection From wabmig.exe (Turian Injection)

Suspicious Outbound Network Connection from Explorer Process

Suspicious AppLaunch.exe Spawned As Injection Target (via process_creation)

Suspicious BugSleep Marker File in Public Directory

Suspicious CRAT Injection Named Pipe ChromeUpdatePipe (via pipe_created)

AsyncRAT Injector libPK.dll Written to Public Folder (via file_event)

FlawedGrace spawning threat injection target

In-Memory Ramnit Process Injection Target Spawned by WmiPrvSE in drIBAN Fraud Operation (via process_creation)

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

Pivot detection · T1055 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

windows-process-creation-executable-image-missing-absolute-path-possible-process-71158e3f

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

Convert

This rule as a query you can run. Uses no unlock credit.

SplunkSPL