Detection rules › Splunk

Windows Scheduled Tasks for CompMgmtLauncher or Eventvwr

Author
Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
Source
upstream

The following analytic detects the creation or modification of Windows Scheduled Tasks related to CompMgmtLauncher or Eventvwr. These legitimate system utilities, used for launching the Computer Management Console and Event Viewer, can be abused by attackers to execute malicious payloads under the guise of normal system processes. By leveraging these tasks, adversaries can establish persistence or elevate privileges without raising suspicion. This detection helps security analysts identify unusual or unauthorized scheduled tasks involving these executables, allowing for timely investigation and remediation of potential threats.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
ExecutionT1053 Scheduled Task/Job
PersistenceT1053 Scheduled Task/Job
Privilege EscalationT1053 Scheduled Task/Job

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
Security-Auditing4698A scheduled task was created.

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

search (TaskContent="*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\CompMgmtLauncher.exe</Command>*" OR TaskContent="*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\eventvwr.msc</Command>*" OR TaskContent="*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\zh-CN\\eventvwr.msc</Command>*") EventCode=4698

Stage 2: stats

stats BY dest, action, EventData_Xml, TaskContent, TaskName

Stage 3: search

search

Stage 4: search

search

Stage 5: 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.

FieldKindValues
EventCodeeq
  • 4698 corpus 8 (splunk 8)
TaskContenteq
  • "*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\CompMgmtLauncher.exe</Command>*"
  • "*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\eventvwr.msc</Command>*"
  • "*<Command>C:\\Windows\\System32\\zh-CN\\eventvwr.msc</Command>*"

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.