splApache-2.0from splunk/security_content

Suspicious mshta spawn

The following analytic detects the spawning of mshta.exe by wmiprvse.exe or svchost.exe. This behavior is identified using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is either wmiprvse.exe or svchost.exe. This activity is significant as it may indicate the use of a DCOM object to execute malicious scripts via mshta.exe, a common tactic in sophisticated attacks. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise and further malicious activities.

Quality

FP risk

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Forks

Views

Rule sourcedetections/endpoint/suspicious_mshta_spawn.yml

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count values(Processes.process_name) as process_name values(Processes.process) as process min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes
  WHERE (
        Processes.parent_process_name=svchost.exe
        OR
        Processes.parent_process_name=wmiprvse.exe
    )
    AND `process_mshta`
  BY Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name
     Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid
     Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path
     Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid
     Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
     Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user
     Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `suspicious_mshta_spawn_filter`