Scheduled Task Creation on Remote Endpoint using At

SPLUNK detection rule by Mauricio Velazco, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects the creation of scheduled tasks on remote Windows endpoints using the at.exe command. This detection leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events involving at.exe with remote command-line arguments. Identifying this activity is significant for a SOC as it may indicate lateral movement or remote code execution attempts by an attacker. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access, persistence, or execution of malicious code, potentially resulting in data theft or further compromise of the network.

name: Scheduled Task Creation on Remote Endpoint using At
id: 4be54858-432f-11ec-8209-3e22fbd008af
version: 12
creation_date: '2021-11-11'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects the creation of scheduled tasks on remote Windows endpoints using the at.exe command. This detection leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events involving at.exe with remote command-line arguments. Identifying this activity is significant for a SOC as it may indicate lateral movement or remote code execution attempts by an attacker. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access, persistence, or execution of malicious code, potentially resulting in data theft or further compromise of the network.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 1
    - Windows Event Log Security 4688
    - CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where (Processes.process_name=at.exe OR Processes.original_file_name=at.exe) (Processes.process=*\\\\*) by Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path Processes.process Processes.process_exec Processes.process_guid Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product | `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `scheduled_task_creation_on_remote_endpoint_using_at_filter`'
how_to_implement: The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives: Administrators may create scheduled tasks on remote systems, but this activity is usually limited to a small set of hosts or users.
references:
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/at
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/cimwin32prov/win32-scheduledjob?redirectedfrom=MSDN
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
finding:
    title: A Windows Scheduled Task was created on a remote endpoint from $dest$
    entity:
        field: dest
        type: system
        score: 50
analytic_story:
    - Active Directory Lateral Movement
    - Living Off The Land
    - Scheduled Tasks
    - 0bj3ctivity Stealer
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1053.002
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1053.002/lateral_movement/windows-sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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