huntrule

Windows Service Control Manager: HackTool Service Installation or Start via Suspicious Service Names

Detects Windows service creation/start events tied to hacktool-like service names or ImagePath indicators.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Service
system
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-03-21
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 identifies Windows service creation and subsequent service state changes by the Service Control Manager when the service name matches known credential-dumping or bypass-related strings. Attackers often register services to run malicious code as a background process with elevated privileges, helping them persist or execute tooling. It relies on Windows System service telemetry, specifically events tied to Service Control Manager activity (7045 and 7036) and matching service name substrings and an ImagePath indicator containing 'bypass'.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1569.002 — drag to rearrange
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Malicious Service Execution via PAExec
Suspicious RemCom Service Named Pipe for Lateral Movement (via pipe_created)
Malicious CACTUS Ransomware Deployment via TotalExec Script (via ps_script)
Malicious PsExec Service Binary Execution from Windows Directory via services.exe (via process_creation)
Malicious Remote Command Execution via smbexec Output Redirection Pattern
Malicious Lateral Movement via PsExec File-List Target
Malicious PsExec SYSTEM Interactive Shell Execution (via process_creation)
Suspicious PsExec Service Named Sliver
Windows Service Control Manager: HackTool Service Installation or Start via Suspicious Service Names
Pivot detection · T1569.002 · 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.