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Windows Wmic CPU Discovery

The following analytic detects the use of WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line) for CPU discovery, often executed with commands such as “wmic cpu get name” This behavior is commonly associated with…

Description

The following analytic detects the use of WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line) for CPU discovery, often executed with commands such as “wmic cpu get name” This behavior is commonly associated with reconnaissance, where adversaries seek to gather details about system hardware, assess processing power, or determine if the environment is virtualized. While WMIC is a legitimate administrative tool, its use for CPU queries outside of normal inventory or management scripts can indicate malicious intent. Monitoring command-line executions of WMIC with CPU-related arguments and correlating with other discovery activity can help identify attacker reconnaissance.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
ESXiIaaSLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesWindows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.

Known benign triggers

  • Administrators may execute this command for testing or auditing.

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