BlackCat ALPHV Ransomware Execution With access-token Argument

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-09-28
Updated
2026-09-28

ATT&CK techniques

Impact
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

What it detects

This rule detects a process launched with the --access-token argument required by the BlackCat ALPHV ransomware encryptor to unlock and run. Huntress observed affiliates passing this token to detonate the payload on compromised hosts. The mandatory access-token flag is a distinctive execution signature that separates this ransomware from benign tooling.

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BlackCat ALPHV Ransomware Execution With access-token Argument
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Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.