Alternate PowerShell Hosts - PowerShell Module

Status: test
Severity: medium
Log source: product windows, category ps_module
Author: Roberto Rodriguez @Cyb3rWard0g
Source: github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects alternate PowerShell hosts potentially bypassing detections looking for powershell.exe

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Execution	`T1059.001` Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell

Event coverage

Provider	Event	Title
PowerShell	Event ID 4103	Payload Context: ContextInfo User Data: UserData.

Rule body yaml

title: Alternate PowerShell Hosts - PowerShell Module
id: 64e8e417-c19a-475a-8d19-98ea705394cc
status: test
description: Detects alternate PowerShell hosts potentially bypassing detections looking for powershell.exe
references:
    - https://threathunterplaybook.com/hunts/windows/190610-PwshAlternateHosts/notebook.html
author: Roberto Rodriguez @Cyb3rWard0g
date: 2019-08-11
modified: 2025-10-17
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1059.001
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: ps_module
    definition: 0ad03ef1-f21b-4a79-8ce8-e6900c54b65b
detection:
    selection:
        ContextInfo|contains: '*'
    filter_powershell:
        # This filter covers the following use cases
        #   - When powershell is called directly from commandline via keyword powershell or powershell.exe
        #   - Or called via path but not with full "".exe". Example: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell
        ContextInfo|contains:
            - '= powershell' # Host Application=...powershell.exe or Application hote=...powershell.exe in French Win10 event
            - '= C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
            - '= C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
            # In some cases powershell was invoked with inverted slashes
            - '= C:/Windows/System32/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell'
            - '= C:/Windows/SysWOW64/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell'
            # In some cases \??\C:.. is used
            - '= \\\?\?\C:Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
            - '= \\\?\?\C:Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
    filter_sdiagnhost:
        ContextInfo|contains: '= C:\WINDOWS\System32\sdiagnhost.exe -Embedding' # When MSDT is launched for example
    filter_citrix:
        ContextInfo|contains: 'ConfigSyncRun.exe'
    filter_adace:  # Active Directory Administrative Center Enhancements
        ContextInfo|contains: 'C:\Windows\system32\dsac.exe'
    filter_winrm:
        ContextInfo|contains: 'C:\Windows\system32\wsmprovhost.exe -Embedding'
    filter_help_update:
        Payload|contains:
            - 'Update-Help'
            - 'Failed to update Help for the module'
    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_*
falsepositives:
    - Programs using PowerShell directly without invocation of a dedicated interpreter
    - MSP Detection Searcher
    - Citrix ConfigSync.ps1
level: medium

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: `condition`

selection and not 1 of filter_*

Stage 1: `selection`

selection:
    ContextInfo|contains: '*'

Stage 2: `not filter_*`

filter_powershell:
    ContextInfo|contains:
        - '= powershell'
        - '= C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
        - '= C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
        - '= C:/Windows/System32/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell'
        - '= C:/Windows/SysWOW64/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell'
        - '= \\\?\?\C:Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
        - '= \\\?\?\C:Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell'
filter_sdiagnhost:
    ContextInfo|contains: '= C:\WINDOWS\System32\sdiagnhost.exe -Embedding'
filter_citrix:
    ContextInfo|contains: 'ConfigSyncRun.exe'
filter_adace:
    ContextInfo|contains: 'C:\Windows\system32\dsac.exe'
filter_winrm:
    ContextInfo|contains: 'C:\Windows\system32\wsmprovhost.exe -Embedding'
filter_help_update:
    Payload|contains:
        - 'Update-Help'
        - 'Failed to update Help for the module'

Exclusions

Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts: predicates this rule actively suppresses.

Field	Kind	Excluded values
`ContextInfo`	match	`= C:/Windows/SysWOW64/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= C:/Windows/System32/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= C:\WINDOWS\System32\sdiagnhost.exe -Embedding`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= \\\?\?\C:Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= \\\?\?\C:Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`= powershell`
`ContextInfo`	match	`C:\Windows\system32\dsac.exe`
`ContextInfo`	match	`C:\Windows\system32\wsmprovhost.exe -Embedding`
`ContextInfo`	match	`ConfigSyncRun.exe`
`Payload`	match	`Failed to update Help for the module`
`Payload`	match	`Update-Help`

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
`ContextInfo`	match	`*`

`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)

Alternate PowerShell Hosts - PowerShell Module

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rule body yaml

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: `condition`

Stage 1: `selection`

Stage 2: `not filter_*`

Exclusions

Indicators

Keyboard shortcuts

Search operators

Alternate PowerShell Hosts - PowerShell Module

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rule body yaml

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: condition

Stage 1: selection

Stage 2: not filter_*

Exclusions

Indicators

Stage 0: `condition`

Stage 1: `selection`

Stage 2: `not filter_*`