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Windows Process Creation: PowerShell Import-Module from Temp/AppData/Public Paths

Alerts on PowerShell Import-Module calls that load modules from Temp, AppData, or Public directories on Windows.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2023-01-10
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 creation events where the PowerShell command line includes Import-Module (or ipmo) referencing module paths under $Env:Temp, $Env:Appdata, or C:\Users\Public. Attackers often import modules from writable or user-accessible locations to run attacker-controlled code and evade straightforward script inspection. Telemetry relies on process creation logging that captures the full PowerShell command line.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.001 — drag to rearrange
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Suspicious SharePoint Worker Process Spawning Command Interpreter via ToolShell
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Suspicious Python Interpreter Launching Encoded PowerShell via subprocess
Windows Process Creation: PowerShell Import-Module from Temp/AppData/Public Paths
Pivot detection · T1059.001 · 9 related

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