WmiPrvSE.exe Spawned PowerShell Child Process on Windows

ATT&CK techniques

Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1047Windows Management Instrumentation
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags when PowerShell (powershell.exe or pwsh.exe) is created as a child process of WmiPrvSE.exe. Such parent-child behavior can indicate WMI-based execution, which attackers may use for lateral movement or remote command execution. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry capturing process image paths, parent process names, and executable names.

Reporting behind it

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WmiPrvSE.exe Spawned PowerShell Child Process on Windows

Pivot detection · T1059.001 · 9 related

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

wmiprvse-exe-spawned-powershell-child-process-on-windows-692f0bec

title: WmiPrvSE.exe Spawned PowerShell Child Process on Windows
id: d1a8ade8-a8c8-420b-9ab6-9ba7563e28f4
related:
  - id: 8a582fe2-0882-4b89-a82a-da6b2dc32937
    type: similar
  - id: d21374ff-f574-44a7-9998-4a8c8bf33d7d
    type: similar
  - id: 692f0bec-83ba-4d04-af7e-e884a96059b6
    type: derived
status: stable
description: This rule flags when PowerShell (powershell.exe or pwsh.exe) is created as a child process of WmiPrvSE.exe. Such parent-child behavior can indicate WMI-based execution, which attackers may use for lateral movement or remote command execution. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry capturing process image paths, parent process names, and executable names.
references:
  - https://any.run/report/68bc255f9b0db6a0d30a8f2dadfbee3256acfe12497bf93943bc1eab0735e45e/a2385d6f-34f7-403c-90d3-b1f9d2a90a5e
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_wmiprvse_spawns_powershell.yml
author: Markus Neis @Karneades, Huntrule Team
date: 2019-04-03
modified: 2023-03-29
tags:
  - attack.execution
  - attack.t1047
  - attack.t1059.001
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_parent:
    ParentImage|endswith: \WmiPrvSE.exe
  selection_img:
    - Image|endswith:
        - \powershell.exe
        - \pwsh.exe
    - OriginalFileName:
        - PowerShell.EXE
        - pwsh.dll
  condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
  - AppvClient
  - CCM
  - WinRM
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1

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