Windows sc.exe Service Security Descriptor Tampering (sdset)
Detects sc.exe executions using sdset to modify service security descriptors, enabling stealthy service tampering.
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
- Published
- 2023-02-28
- Updated
- 2026-07-30
ATT&CK techniques
Execution → Defense EvasionRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule flags process executions where sc.exe is used to run the sdset command, indicating service security descriptor changes. Attackers can use this to grant or remove permissions on services, potentially hiding or controlling access to a newly created or modified service for persistence and stealth. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry capturing the sc.exe image/filename and the command line containing sdset.
Reporting behind it
- blog.talosintelligence.comhttps://blog.talosintelligence.com/2021/10/threat-hunting-in-large-datasets-by.html
- sans.orghttps://www.sans.org/blog/red-team-tactics-hiding-windows-services/
- twitter.comhttps://twitter.com/Alh4zr3d/status/1580925761996828672
- twitter.comhttps://twitter.com/0gtweet/status/1628720819537936386
- itconnect.uw.eduhttps://itconnect.uw.edu/tools-services-support/it-systems-infrastructure/msinf/other-help/understanding-sddl-syntax/
- github.comhttps://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sc_sdset_modification.yml
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
title: Windows sc.exe Service Security Descriptor Tampering (sdset)
id: 8758ecba-5336-430d-84e7-135e85d63eb1
related:
- id: 99cf1e02-00fb-4c0d-8375-563f978dfd37
type: similar
- id: a537cfc3-4297-4789-92b5-345bfd845ad0
type: similar
- id: 98c5aeef-32d5-492f-b174-64a691896d25
type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags process executions where sc.exe is used to run the sdset command, indicating service security descriptor changes. Attackers can use this to grant or remove permissions on services, potentially hiding or controlling access to a newly created or modified service for persistence and stealth. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry capturing the sc.exe image/filename and the command line containing sdset.
references:
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2021/10/threat-hunting-in-large-datasets-by.html
- https://www.sans.org/blog/red-team-tactics-hiding-windows-services/
- https://twitter.com/Alh4zr3d/status/1580925761996828672
- https://twitter.com/0gtweet/status/1628720819537936386
- https://itconnect.uw.edu/tools-services-support/it-systems-infrastructure/msinf/other-help/understanding-sddl-syntax/
- https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_sc_sdset_modification.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2023-02-28
tags:
- attack.persistence
- attack.privilege-escalation
- attack.execution
- attack.stealth
- attack.t1574.011
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_img:
- Image|endswith: \sc.exe
- OriginalFileName: sc.exe
selection_cli:
CommandLine|contains: sdset
condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
- Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1