huntrule

Windows Process Creation: Possible Path Traversal in cmd.exe Command Line

Alerts on Windows cmd.exe executions with "../.." path traversal indicators in parent/child command lines.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
xknow @xknow_infosec, Tim Shelton (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2020-06-11
Updated
2026-07-31
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 cmd.exe is launched or executed with command-line flags (/c, /k, /r) and includes a parent path traversal sequence ('/../../'). Attackers may use path traversal to confuse command-line parsing, manipulate file paths, or redirect execution flow. It relies on process creation telemetry, specifically ParentImage/Image fields and the ParentCommandLine/CommandLine content.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious KB Document Masqueraded Executable Spawned by Script Interpreter via RoKRAT Loader (via process_creation)
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Windows Process Creation: Possible Path Traversal in cmd.exe Command Line
Pivot detection · T1059.003 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
  1. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v1
    No 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.