Suspicious DumpMinitool Execution

About the rule

Rule Type

Standard

Rule Description

DumpMinitool.exe is a legitimate utility often used for troubleshooting or collecting system memory dumps for diagnostic purposes. However, attackers may abuse this process to capture sensitive data, such as credentials or encryption keys, from system memory. Malicious or unauthorized execution can facilitate credential theft, privilege escalation, or exfiltration of in-memory secrets. This rule is designed to detect suspicious or anomalous invocations of DumpMinitool.exe—such as executions by non-administrative users, use of uncommon command-line switches, dumping of protected processes, or file writes to unauthorized directories.

Severity

Trouble

Rule journey

Attack chain scenario

Initial access → Privilege escalation → Execution of DumpMinitool.exe → Credential or memory data theft → Impact

Impact

• Defense evasion
• Credential/theft of sensitive memory-resident data
• Privilege escalation
• Data exfiltration
• Preparation for further attacks

Rule Requirement

Prerequisites

Use the Group Policy Management Console to audit process creation and process termination.

Install Sysmon from Microsoft Sysinternals and download the Sysmon configuration file that includes process creation monitoring. Add network connection events to the configuration file to monitor all network activity.

Create a new registry key "Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational" in the directory "Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\" if not already created.

Criteria

Detection

Execution Mode

realtime

Log Sources

Windows

MITRE ATT&CK

Defense Evasion: Masquerading (T1036),"Credential Access: OS Credential Dumping - LSASS Memory (T1003.001)"

Security Standards

Enabling this rule will help you meet the security standard's requirement listed below:

DE.CM-01: Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events.

When this rule is triggered, you’re notified of a suspicious execution of DumpMinitool.exe, such as use of unauthorized switches, attempts to dump protected processes, or memory collections initiated by untrusted accounts. This enables you to review process usage, analyze user context and command-line activity, and promptly identify potential abuse of this tool.

Author

Florian Roth (Nextron Systems)

Future actions

Known False Positives

This rule may trigger during legitimate diagnostic or troubleshooting sessions, especially by IT or support staff, or when corporate memory-dump tools are scheduled to run. Review the user account, process context, and details of the memory dump task to assess legitimacy and compliance with organizational procedures.

Next Steps

When this rule is triggered, the following measures can be implemented:

1. Identification: Identify if the flagged event is a new incident or part of an existing incident.
2. Analysis: Analyze the impact and extent of the incident to comprehend the severity of the attack using the Incident Workbench.
3. Response: Respond promptly by initiating an automated workflow to interrupt the network connections and cease the malicious process.
4. Reconfiguration: Update allowlists and detection rules for legitimate usage, review audit logs for prior suspicious use, and monitor for repeated or related events.

Mitigation