Sdelete deployed via GPO and run recursively

Status: available
Severity: medium
Time window: 1d
Group by: NewProcessId, ProcessId
Source: github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel

This query looks for the Sdelete process being run recursively after being deployed to a host via GPO. Attackers could use this technique to deploy Sdelete to multiple host and delete data on them.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Impact	`T1485` Data Destruction

Event coverage

Provider	Event	Title
Security-Auditing	Event ID 4688	A new process has been created.

Rule body kusto

id: d9f28fdf-abc8-4f1a-a7e7-1aaec87a2fc5
name: Sdelete deployed via GPO and run recursively
description: |
  'This query looks for the Sdelete process being run recursively after being deployed to a host via GPO. Attackers could use this technique to deploy Sdelete to multiple host and delete data on them.'
severity: Medium
requiredDataConnectors:
  - connectorId: SecurityEvents
    dataTypes:
      - SecurityEvent
  - connectorId: WindowsSecurityEvents
    dataTypes:
      - SecurityEvent
queryFrequency: 1d
queryPeriod: 1d
triggerOperator: gt
triggerThreshold: 0
status: Available
tactics:
  - Impact
relevantTechniques:
  - T1485
tags:
  -
query: |
  SecurityEvent
    | where EventID == 4688
    | where Process =~ "svchost.exe"
    | where CommandLine has "-k GPSvcGroup" or CommandLine has "-s gpsvc"
    | extend timekey = bin(TimeGenerated, 1m)
    | project timekey, NewProcessId, Computer
    | join kind=inner (SecurityEvent
    | where EventID == 4688
    | where Process =~ "sdelete.exe" or CommandLine has "sdelete"
    | where ParentProcessName endswith "svchost.exe"
    | where CommandLine has_all ("-s", "-r")
    | extend newProcess = Process
    | extend timekey = bin(TimeGenerated, 1m)
    ) on $left.NewProcessId == $right.ProcessId, timekey, Computer
    | extend HostName = tostring(split(Computer, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(Computer, '.'))
    | extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(Computer, DomainIndex + 1), Computer)
    | extend AccountName = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[1]), AccountNTDomain = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[0])
entityMappings:
  - entityType: Account
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: FullName
        columnName: TargetAccount
      - identifier: Name
        columnName: AccountName
      - identifier: NTDomain
        columnName: AccountNTDomain
  - entityType: Host
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: FullName
        columnName: Computer
      - identifier: HostName
        columnName: HostName
      - identifier: DnsDomain
        columnName: HostNameDomain
version: 1.0.2
kind: Scheduled

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: `source`

SecurityEvent

Stage 2: `where`

| where EventID == 4688

Stage 3: `where`

| where Process =~ "svchost.exe"

Stage 4: `where`

| where CommandLine has "-k GPSvcGroup" or CommandLine has "-s gpsvc"

Stage 5: `extend`

| extend timekey = bin(TimeGenerated, 1m)

Stage 6: `project`

| project timekey, NewProcessId, Computer

Stage 7: `join`

| join kind=inner (SecurityEvent
  | where EventID == 4688
  | where Process =~ "sdelete.exe" or CommandLine has "sdelete"
  | where ParentProcessName endswith "svchost.exe"
  | where CommandLine has_all ("-s", "-r")
  | extend newProcess = Process
  | extend timekey = bin(TimeGenerated, 1m)
  ) on $left.NewProcessId == $right.ProcessId, timekey, Computer

Stage 8: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)

| extend HostName = tostring(split(Computer, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(Computer, '.'))
| extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(Computer, DomainIndex + 1), Computer)
| extend AccountName = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[1]), AccountNTDomain = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[0])

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`CommandLine`	match	`-k GPSvcGroup` transforms: `term` corpus 2 (kusto 2) `-r` corpus 13 (sigma 9, kusto 4) `-s` corpus 10 (sigma 4, kusto 4, elastic 1, splunk 1) `-s gpsvc` transforms: `term` corpus 2 (kusto 2) `sdelete` transforms: `term` corpus 2 (kusto 2)
`EventID`	eq	`4688` transforms: `cased` corpus 313 (splunk 283, kusto 30)
`ParentProcessName`	ends_with	`svchost.exe`
`Process`	eq	`sdelete.exe` corpus 2 (kusto 2) `svchost.exe`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`Computer`	`project`
`NewProcessId`	`project`
`timekey`	`project`
`DomainIndex`	`extend`
`HostName`	`extend`
`HostNameDomain`	`extend`
`AccountNTDomain`	`extend`
`AccountName`	`extend`

`j` / `k`	Scroll down / up
`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)

Sdelete deployed via GPO and run recursively

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `where`

Stage 5: `extend`

Stage 6: `project`

Stage 7: `join`

Stage 8: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)

Indicators

Output fields

Keyboard shortcuts

Search operators

Sdelete deployed via GPO and run recursively

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: source

Stage 2: where

Stage 3: where

Stage 4: where

Stage 5: extend

Stage 6: project

Stage 7: join

Stage 8: extend (3 consecutive steps)

Indicators

Output fields

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `where`

Stage 5: `extend`

Stage 6: `project`

Stage 7: `join`

Stage 8: `extend` (3 consecutive steps)