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Windows UAC Bypass via pkgmgr.exe Launching dism.exe (High/System Integrity)

Detects pkgmgr.exe spawning dism.exe with High/System integrity levels on Windows, a pattern used in UAC bypass attempts.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Christian Burkard (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2021-08-23
Updated
2026-07-30
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Priv Esc → Defense Evasion

  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 process executions where a parent process ending in \pkgmgr.exe spawns dism.exe while the child process runs with elevated integrity levels (including High and System-related SIDs). Such parent/child combinations are notable because they can support privilege escalation pathways by executing a high-integrity Windows component. The detection relies on process creation telemetry, specifically matching executable filename endings and integrity level attributes for the spawned process.

Reporting behind it

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Windows UAC Bypass via pkgmgr.exe Launching dism.exe (High/System Integrity)
Pivot detection · T1548.002 · 9 related

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