Detect Msiexec in Sumo Logic CSE
Adversaries may abuse msiexec.exe to proxy execution of malicious payloads. Msiexec.exe is the command-line utility for the Windows Installer and is commonly associated with executing installation packages (.msi). Since it is a signed Microsoft binary, msiexec.exe can bypass application control solutions. Adversaries use it to launch local or remote MSI files and to execute DLLs. Execution may also be elevated to SYSTEM if the AlwaysInstallElevated policy is enabled. Widely abused by malware families including QakBot, IcedID, Emotet, Clop, Maze, Ragnar Locker, Latrodectus, Raspberry Robin, TA505, Rancor, ZIRCONIUM, and many others.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Defense Evasion
- Technique
- T1218 System Binary Proxy Execution
- Sub-technique
- T1218.007 Msiexec
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/007/
Sumo Detection Query
(_sourceCategory=*windows*sysmon* OR _sourceCategory=*windows*endpoint*)
| where EventID = "1"
| where Image =~ "(?i).*\\\\msiexec\\.exe$"
| if(CommandLine =~ "(?i)(http[s]?|ftp)://", 1, 0) as RemoteMSI
| if(CommandLine =~ "(?i)\\s/y\\s", 1, 0) as DLLExec
| if(CommandLine =~ "(?i)(/q |/quiet |/passive )", 1, 0) as SilentInstall
| if(CommandLine =~ "(?i)(Temp|AppData|Downloads|Public|Desktop)", 1, 0) as SuspiciousPath
| if(ParentImage =~ "(?i)(cmd|powershell|wscript|cscript|mshta|winword|excel|outlook)\\.exe$", 1, 0) as SuspiciousParent
| if(CommandLine =~ "[A-Z]+=[a-zA-Z0-9+/]{10,}", 1, 0) as PropertyPair
| toInt(RemoteMSI) + toInt(DLLExec) + (toInt(SilentInstall) * toInt(SuspiciousPath)) + toInt(SuspiciousParent) + toInt(PropertyPair) as RiskScore
| where RiskScore > 0
| fields _time, Computer, User, Image, CommandLine, ParentImage, RemoteMSI, DLLExec, SilentInstall, SuspiciousPath, SuspiciousParent, PropertyPair, RiskScore
| sort by _time descDetects T1218.007 msiexec.exe proxy execution abuse using Sumo Logic log search against Sysmon EventID 1 (Process Create) events. Computes a composite RiskScore from five behavioral indicators: remote MSI loading, DLL registration, silent install with suspicious path, suspicious parent process, and MSI property pair injection. Requires Sysmon EventID 1 data with Image, CommandLine, ParentImage, User, and Computer fields extracted via field extraction rules or automatic parsing.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Software deployment pipelines staging MSI files in %TEMP% or %AppData% directories before silent installation, common in enterprise MDM workflows via Intune
- Security tooling update mechanisms (CrowdStrike sensor updates, Carbon Black updates) that self-install via msiexec with /quiet flags from local staging paths
- Legitimate CI/CD build agents running msiexec installer tests from Downloads or Desktop paths during automated QA test cycles
Other platforms for T1218.007
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Msiexec Remote MSI Execution
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: msiexec.exe with URL and /q flag. Sysmon Event ID 3: Network connection attempt to 127.0.0.1:8080. Security Event ID 4688. The installation will fail (no server) but the process creation event fires.
- Test 2Msiexec DLL Execution via /y Flag
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 11: DLL written to Temp. Sysmon Event ID 1: msiexec.exe with /y flag and Temp path. Sysmon Event ID 7 (Image Load) for the DLL being loaded by msiexec.
- Test 3Msiexec Silent Install from Temp Directory via PowerShell
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: powershell.exe, then msiexec.exe with /q and Temp path, ParentImage=powershell.exe. Both SuspiciousParent and SuspiciousPath fire. Security Event ID 4688 for both.
References (6)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218/007/
- https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Msiexec/
- https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/attack-using-windows-installer-msiexec-exe-leads-lokibot/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/msiexec
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/msi/alwaysinstallelevated
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1218.007/T1218.007.md
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