Detection rules › Splunk
Windows PowerShell ScheduleTask
The following analytic detects potential malicious activities involving PowerShell's task scheduling cmdlets. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode 4104) to identify unusual or suspicious use of cmdlets like 'New-ScheduledTask' and 'Set-ScheduledTask'. This activity is significant as attackers often use these cmdlets for persistence and remote execution of malicious code. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain access, deliver additional payloads, or execute ransomware, leading to data theft or other severe impacts. Immediate investigation and mitigation are crucial to prevent further compromise.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Execution | T1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task, T1059.001 Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell |
| Persistence | T1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task |
| Privilege Escalation | T1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| PowerShell | 4104 | Creating Scriptblock text (MessageNumber of MessageTotal). |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search EventCode=4104 ScriptBlockText IN ("*Enable-ScheduledTask*", "*New-ScheduledTask*", "*New-ScheduledTaskAction*", "*New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet*", "*New-ScheduledTaskTrigger*", "*Register-ClusteredScheduledTask*", "*Register-ScheduledTask*", "*Set-ClusteredScheduledTask*", "*Set-ScheduledTask*", "*Start-ScheduledTask*")
Stage 2: fillnull
fillnull
Stage 3: stats
stats BY dest, signature, signature_id, user_id, vendor_product, EventID, Guid, Opcode, Name, Path, ProcessID, ScriptBlockId, ScriptBlockText
Stage 4: search
search
Stage 5: search
search
Stage 6: search
search `macro`
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
EventCode | eq |
|
ScriptBlockText | in |
|
Neighbors
Broader alternatives (more inclusive than this rule)
These rules match a superset of what this rule catches. They cover the same events plus more. Use them if you want wider coverage and can absorb more false positives.
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Invalid Escape Sequences (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Backtick-Escaped Variable Expansion (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Character Array Reconstruction (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Concatenated Dynamic Command Invocation (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via High Numeric Character Proportion (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential Dynamic IEX Reconstruction via Environment Variables (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Dynamic IEX Reconstruction via Method String Access (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- PowerShell Obfuscation via Negative Index String Reversal (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Reverse Keywords (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via String Concatenation (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via String Reordering (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- Potential PowerShell Obfuscation via Special Character Overuse (drops 2 filters this rule applies)
- PowerShell 4104 Hunting (drops 1 filter this rule applies)