title: Windows Processes Suspicious Parent Directory
author: vburov
date: 2019/02/23
description: Detect suspicious parent processes of well-known Windows processes
detection:
  SELECTION_1:
    EventID: 1
  SELECTION_2:
    Image:
    - '*\svchost.exe'
    - '*\taskhost.exe'
    - '*\lsm.exe'
    - '*\lsass.exe'
    - '*\services.exe'
    - '*\lsaiso.exe'
    - '*\csrss.exe'
    - '*\wininit.exe'
    - '*\winlogon.exe'
  SELECTION_3:
    ParentImage: '*\SavService.exe'
  SELECTION_4:
    ParentImage:
    - '*\System32\\*'
    - '*\SysWOW64\\*'
  SELECTION_5:
    ParentImage:
    - '*\Windows Defender\\*'
    - '*\Microsoft Security Client\\*'
  SELECTION_6:
    ParentImage: '*\MsMpEng.exe'
  SELECTION_7:
    ParentImage|re: ^$
  condition: (SELECTION_1 and ((SELECTION_2 and  not (SELECTION_3 or SELECTION_4))
    and  not (SELECTION_5 and SELECTION_6)) and  not (SELECTION_7))
falsepositives:
- Some security products seem to spawn these
id: 96036718-71cc-4027-a538-d1587e0006a7
level: low
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
modified: 2020/11/28
references:
- https://securitybytes.io/blue-team-fundamentals-part-two-windows-processes-759fe15965e2
- https://www.carbonblack.com/2014/06/10/screenshot-demo-hunt-evil-faster-than-ever-with-carbon-black/
- https://www.13cubed.com/downloads/windows_process_genealogy_v2.pdf
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1036/
status: experimental
tags:
- attack.defense_evasion
- attack.t1036
- attack.t1036.003
- attack.t1036.005
ruletype: SIGMA