Windows Boot or Logon Autostart Execution In Startup Folder

SPLUNK detection rule by Teoderick Contreras, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects the creation of files in the Windows %startup% folder, a common persistence technique. It leverages the Endpoint.Filesystem data model to identify file creation events in this specific directory. This activity is significant because adversaries often use the startup folder to ensure their malicious code executes automatically upon system boot or user logon. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain persistence on the host, potentially leading to further system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

name: Windows Boot or Logon Autostart Execution In Startup Folder
id: 99d157cb-923f-4a00-aee9-1f385412146f
version: 17
creation_date: '2023-01-16'
modification_date: '2026-07-20'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects the creation of files in the Windows %startup% folder, a common persistence technique. It leverages the Endpoint.Filesystem data model to identify file creation events in this specific directory. This activity is significant because adversaries often use the startup folder to ensure their malicious code executes automatically upon system boot or user logon. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to maintain persistence on the host, potentially leading to further system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 11
search: '|tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Filesystem where Filesystem.file_path = "*\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\*" by Filesystem.action Filesystem.dest Filesystem.file_access_time Filesystem.file_create_time Filesystem.file_hash Filesystem.file_modify_time Filesystem.file_name Filesystem.file_path Filesystem.file_acl Filesystem.file_size Filesystem.process_guid Filesystem.process_id Filesystem.user Filesystem.vendor_product | `drop_dm_object_name(Filesystem)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `windows_boot_or_logon_autostart_execution_in_startup_folder_filter`'
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the Filesystem responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Filesystem` node.
known_false_positives: Administrators may allow creation of script or exe in this path.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/002/
    - https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/chaos-ransomware-variant-sides-with-russia
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  user = "$user$" dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$" and "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$", "$dest$") | 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"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 20
          message: a process dropped a file in %startup% folder on $dest$
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
          message: a process dropped a file in %startup% folder on $dest$
threat_objects:
    - field: file_name
      type: file_name
analytic_story:
    - XWorm
    - Chaos Ransomware
    - NjRAT
    - Crypto Stealer
    - Gozi Malware
    - Quasar RAT
    - RedLine Stealer
    - Interlock Ransomware
    - APT37 Rustonotto and FadeStealer
    - PromptFlux
    - BlankGrabber Stealer
    - Phantom Stealer
    - Starland RAT Campaign
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1547.001
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/malware/chaos_ransomware/sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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5ab0698d-9f7d-4ddc-81d7-cf42bf3e5d18

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