LoFP / while it is possible to have false positives, due to legitimate administrative tasks, these are usually limited and should still be validated and investigated as appropriate.

Techniques

• T1053.005

Sample rules

Schtasks scheduling job on remote system

• source: splunk
• technicques:
  • T1053.005

Description

The following analytic detects the use of ‘schtasks.exe’ to create a scheduled task on a remote system, indicating potential lateral movement or remote code execution. It leverages process data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on specific command-line arguments and flags. This activity is significant as it may signify an adversary’s attempt to persist or execute code remotely. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain access, execute arbitrary commands, or further infiltrate the network, posing a severe security risk.

Detection logic

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where (Processes.process_name = schtasks.exe OR Processes.original_file_name=schtasks.exe) (Processes.process="*/create*" AND Processes.process="*/s*") by Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.parent_process_name Processes.dest Processes.user 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `schtasks_scheduling_job_on_remote_system_filter`