RedSun - TieringEngineService.exe Staged in RS-Prefixed Temp Dir
Detects the creation of a file named TieringEngineService.exe inside a directory whose path contains the RS- prefix characteristic of RedSun's staging directory (e.g. %TEMP%\RS-{GUID}\TieringEngineService.exe). RedSun registers a Cloud Files sync root under this RS-prefixed path and drops a masqueraded placeholder there as part of its oplock-based AV bypass and privilege escalation chain. The RS-{GUID} directory name is generated by RedSun itself and has no legitimate system usage, making the combination of this path prefix and the TieringEngineService.exe filename a highly specific indicator of RedSun activity.
Detection logic
selection
TargetFilename|contains|all:
- \Temp
- \RS-{
TargetFilename|endswith: \TieringEngineService.exeCondition
selectionRaw YAML
title: RedSun - TieringEngineService.exe Staged in RS-Prefixed Temp Dir
id: f2e4b7d9-5c3a-4f8b-9e1d-7a6c2b3f4e5d
status: experimental
description: |
Detects the creation of a file named TieringEngineService.exe inside a directory whose path contains the RS- prefix characteristic
of RedSun's staging directory (e.g. %TEMP%\RS-{GUID}\TieringEngineService.exe).
RedSun registers a Cloud Files sync root under this RS-prefixed path and drops a masqueraded placeholder there as part of its oplock-based AV bypass and privilege escalation chain.
The RS-{GUID} directory name is generated by RedSun itself and has no legitimate system usage,
making the combination of this path prefix and the TieringEngineService.exe filename a highly
specific indicator of RedSun activity.
references:
- https://github.com/Nightmare-Eclipse/RedSun/blob/7456cc8cf066f5e5fc6cdf7d3272a466ebd6b2f6/RedSun.cpp#L591
- https://deadeclipse666.blogspot.com/2026/04/public-disclosure-response-for-cve-2026.html
author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems), @unresolvedhost
date: 2026-04-17
tags:
- attack.stealth
- attack.t1036.005
- detection.emerging-threats
logsource:
category: file_event
product: windows
detection:
selection:
TargetFilename|contains|all:
- '\Temp'
- '\RS-{'
TargetFilename|endswith: '\TieringEngineService.exe'
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Unlikely
level: critical
regression_tests_path: regression_data/rules-emerging-threats/2026/Exploits/RedSun/file_event_win_exploit_redsun_indicators/info.ymlFalse positives
- Unlikely