Scheduled Task Executed Uncommon LOLBIN

SIGMA detection rule by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) · NOASSERTION

Detects the execution of Scheduled Tasks where the program being run is located in a suspicious location or where it is an unusual program to be run from a Scheduled Task

title: Scheduled Task Executed Uncommon LOLBIN
id: f0767f15-0fb3-44b9-851e-e8d9a6d0005d
status: test
description: Detects the execution of Scheduled Tasks where the program being run is located in a suspicious location or where it is an unusual program to be run from a Scheduled Task
references:
    - Internal Research
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2022-12-05
modified: 2023-02-07
tags:
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.execution
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.t1053.005
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: taskscheduler
    definition: 'Requirements: The "Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler/Operational" is disabled by default and needs to be enabled in order for this detection to trigger'
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 129 # Created Task Process
        Path|endswith:
            - '\calc.exe'
            - '\cscript.exe'
            - '\mshta.exe'
            - '\mspaint.exe'
            - '\notepad.exe'
            - '\regsvr32.exe'
            # - '\rundll32.exe'
            - '\wscript.exe'
    # filter_system:
    #     Path|endswith: '\rundll32.exe'
    #     TaskName|startswith: '\Microsoft\Windows\'
    # condition: selection and not 1 of filter_*
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - False positives may occur with some of the selected binaries if you have tasks using them (which could be very common in your environment). Exclude all the specific trusted tasks before using this rule
level: medium

[[ currentRule.title && currentRule.title.length > 60 ? currentRule.title.slice(0, 60) + '…' : currentRule.title ]]

14ff3faa-51c4-4f74-8686-4bfa487596eb

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Executable code, not a declarative rule

This submission is arbitrary [[ currentRule.format ? currentRule.format.toUpperCase() : '' ]] code, not a declarative detection rule — review it as you would any script before running it, and note that it cannot be safely aggregated or auto-executed alongside YARA/Sigma/Suricata/CRS rules.

Rejected pattern present

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Format & documentation suggestions

Not a security issue — this rule is valid and was accepted as-is. These are optional fields/conventions its own format recommends, mainly affecting its quality score and how well it documents itself for other reviewers.

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[[ currentRule.title && currentRule.title.length > 60 ? currentRule.title.slice(0, 60) + '…' : currentRule.title ]]

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