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Windows vmtoolsd.exe Child Process Spawn via Scripting/Utility Binaries

Alert on vmtoolsd.exe spawning cmd/powershell/mshta/regsvr32/rundll32/wscript child processes with VM Tools batch-script command lines.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
bohops, Bhabesh Raj (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2021-10-08
Updated
2026-07-30
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 vmtoolsd.exe spawns a suspicious child process running from common script and execution utilities (cmd.exe, cscript.exe, mshta.exe, PowerShell/pwsh, regsvr32, rundll32, wscript). The behavior is notable because VMware Tools could be leveraged to set up persistence through command execution, so unexpected parent-child combinations may indicate malicious activity. It relies on process creation telemetry including ParentImage/child Image and CommandLine, including matching on specific command-line strings associated with VM default batch scripts.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059 — drag to rearrange
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Malicious China Chopper Web Shell Command Pattern in IIS Worker Process (via process_creation)
Malicious AutoHotKey Runner AutoNotify Executing AHKBot Looper Script (via process_creation)
Malicious IIS Worker Process Spawning Command Shell after ASP.NET ViewState Injection (via process_creation)
Suspicious MSSQL xp_cmdshell Enablement via sp_configure (via process_creation)
Windows vmtoolsd.exe Child Process Spawn via Scripting/Utility Binaries
Pivot detection · T1059 · 9 related

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