Windows getsystem via Meterpreter/Cobalt Strike when services.exe starts a likely privilege escalation command
Alerts when services.exe spawns cmd/%COMSPEC% commands writing to a named pipe consistent with getsystem behavior.
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- Teymur Kheirkhabarov, Ecco, Florian Roth (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
- Published
- 2019-10-26
- Updated
- 2026-07-31
ATT&CK techniques
Priv Esc → Defense EvasionRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule flags Windows process creation where the parent process is services.exe and the child command line matches known getsystem execution patterns associated with Meterpreter or Cobalt Strike. The behavior matters because obtaining SYSTEM-level privileges is a common step in post-exploitation and enables further stealthy actions. It relies on process creation telemetry, including ParentImage and CommandLine content, and excludes cases containing MpCmdRun to reduce overlap with Microsoft Defender activity.
Reporting behind it
- speakerdeck.comhttps://speakerdeck.com/heirhabarov/hunting-for-privilege-escalation-in-windows-environment
- blog.cobaltstrike.comhttps://blog.cobaltstrike.com/2014/04/02/what-happens-when-i-type-getsystem/
- github.comhttps://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_meterpreter_getsystem.yml
Changelog
v2- v2Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
- v1No 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.
title: Windows getsystem via Meterpreter/Cobalt Strike when services.exe starts a likely privilege escalation command
id: 24b207b8-fce7-487d-bebe-d5ba250c266e
status: test
description: This rule flags Windows process creation where the parent process is services.exe and the child command line matches known getsystem execution patterns associated with Meterpreter or Cobalt Strike. The behavior matters because obtaining SYSTEM-level privileges is a common step in post-exploitation and enables further stealthy actions. It relies on process creation telemetry, including ParentImage and CommandLine content, and excludes cases containing MpCmdRun to reduce overlap with Microsoft Defender activity.
references:
- https://speakerdeck.com/heirhabarov/hunting-for-privilege-escalation-in-windows-environment
- https://blog.cobaltstrike.com/2014/04/02/what-happens-when-i-type-getsystem/
- https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_hktl_meterpreter_getsystem.yml
author: Teymur Kheirkhabarov, Ecco, Florian Roth, Huntrule Team
date: 2019-10-26
modified: 2023-02-05
tags:
- attack.privilege-escalation
- attack.stealth
- attack.t1134.001
- attack.t1134.002
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_img:
ParentImage|endswith: \services.exe
selection_technique_1:
CommandLine|contains|all:
- /c
- echo
- \pipe\
CommandLine|contains:
- cmd
- "%COMSPEC%"
selection_technique_2:
CommandLine|contains|all:
- rundll32
- .dll,a
- "/p:"
filter_defender:
CommandLine|contains: MpCmdRun
condition: selection_img and 1 of selection_technique_* and not 1 of filter_*
falsepositives:
- Commandlines containing components like cmd accidentally
- Jobs and services started with cmd
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
- id: 15619216-e993-4721-b590-4c520615a67d
type: derived