detection.wiki

Detection rules › Sigma

Suspicious Msiexec Quiet Install From Remote Location

Status
test
Severity
medium
Log source
category process_creation, product windows
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Source
github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects usage of Msiexec.exe to install packages hosted remotely quietly

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
Stealth

Telemetry coverage

ProviderRecord / event type
SysmonEvent ID 1: Process creation

Rule body

title: Suspicious Msiexec Quiet Install From Remote Location
id: 8150732a-0c9d-4a99-82b9-9efb9b90c40c
related:
    - id: f7b5f842-a6af-4da5-9e95-e32478f3cd2f
      type: similar
status: test
description: Detects usage of Msiexec.exe to install packages hosted remotely quietly
references:
    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2022/10/27/raspberry-robin-worm-part-of-larger-ecosystem-facilitating-pre-ransomware-activity/
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2022-10-28
modified: 2025-10-07
tags:
    - attack.stealth
    - attack.t1218.007
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\msiexec.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'msiexec.exe'
    selection_cli:
        # Note that there is no space before and after the arguments because it's possible to write a commandline as such
        # Example: msiexec -q/i [MSI Package]
        CommandLine|contains|windash:
            - '-i'
            - '-package'
            - '-a'
            - '-j'
    selection_quiet:
        CommandLine|contains|windash: '-q'
    selection_remote:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'http'
            - '\\\\'
    filter_optional_openoffice:
        CommandLine|contains|all:
            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\OpenOffice'
            - 'Installation Files\openoffice'
    condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: medium

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: condition

all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*

Stage 1: selection_img

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '\msiexec.exe'
    - OriginalFileName: 'msiexec.exe'

Stage 2: selection_cli

selection_cli:
    CommandLine|contains|windash:
        - '-i'
        - '-package'
        - '-a'
        - '-j'

Stage 3: selection_quiet

selection_quiet:
    CommandLine|contains|windash: '-q'

Stage 4: selection_remote

selection_remote:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'http'
        - '\\\\'

Stage 5: not filter_optional_openoffice

filter_optional_openoffice:
    CommandLine|contains|all:
        - '\AppData\Local\Temp\OpenOffice'
        - 'Installation Files\openoffice'

Exclusions

The rule actively suppresses these predicates.

FieldKindExcluded valuesSearch
CommandLinematchInstallation Files\openofficeexcludes:CommandLine field:"CommandLine" value:"Installation Files\openoffice"
CommandLinematch\AppData\Local\Temp\OpenOfficeexcludes:CommandLine field:"CommandLine" value:"\AppData\Local\Temp\OpenOffice"

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.

FieldKindValuesSearch
CommandLinematch
  • -a transforms: windash corpus 8 (sigma 6, elastic 1, splunk 1)
  • -i transforms: windash corpus 7 (sigma 7)
  • -j transforms: windash corpus 2 (sigma 2)
  • -package transforms: windash corpus 2 (sigma 2)
  • -q transforms: windash corpus 9 (sigma 6, kusto 2, splunk 1)
  • \\\\ corpus 6 (sigma 5, splunk 1)
  • http corpus 52 (sigma 34, elastic 15, chronicle 2, splunk 1)
field:"CommandLine" kind:match
Imageends_with
  • \msiexec.exe corpus 20 (sigma 20)
field:"Image" kind:ends_with value:"\msiexec.exe"
OriginalFileNameeq
  • msiexec.exe corpus 20 (elastic 11, sigma 5, splunk 4)
field:"OriginalFileName" kind:eq value:"msiexec.exe"