Detection rules › Splunk

WinEvent Windows Task Scheduler Event Action Started

Author
Michael Haag, Splunk
Source
upstream

The following analytic detects the execution of tasks registered in Windows Task Scheduler by monitoring EventID 200 (action run) and 201 (action completed) from the Task Scheduler logs. This detection leverages Task Scheduler logs to identify potentially suspicious or unauthorized task executions. Monitoring these events is significant for a SOC as it helps uncover evasive techniques used for persistence, unauthorized code execution, or other malicious activities. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or the execution of harmful payloads, posing a significant threat to the environment.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
ExecutionT1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task
PersistenceT1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task
Privilege EscalationT1053.005 Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
TaskScheduler200Task Scheduler launched action "TaskName" in instance "ActionName" of task "Name".
TaskScheduler201Task Scheduler successfully completed task "Name" , instance "TaskInstanceId" , action "TaskName" .

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

search EventCode IN ("200", "201")

Stage 2: stats

stats BY TaskName, dvc, EventCode

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
EventCodein
  • "200"
  • "201"