huntrule

Windows Process Creation: NirCmd Command Execution

Alerts when NirCmd.exe is launched with command-execution-oriented parameters in the process command line.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-01-24
Updated
2026-07-30
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 Windows process executions of NirCmd (NirCmd.exe) where the command line includes NirCmd command execution features such as execmd, shexec, runinteractive, or script-based execution. Attackers can use NirCmd to run arbitrary commands and manipulate execution behavior, making process command-line telemetry a key indicator. The detection relies on process creation logs with Image/OriginalFileName and CommandLine content matches.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious PsExec Service Installation via PSEXESVC
Malicious NotPetya Payload Execution via Rundll32 Ordinal Export from Windows Directory
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Windows Process Creation: NirCmd Command Execution
Pivot detection · T1569.002 · 9 related

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