Malicious AutoHotKey Runner AutoNotify Executing AHKBot Looper Script (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → C2

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
- T1105Ingress Tool Transfer
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects the legitimate AutoHotKey runner renamed AutoNotify.exe executing an .ahk script, the AHKBot Looper delivery mechanism used in tax-themed phishing campaigns that leads to screenshot exfiltration and follow-on payloads such as BRc4 and Latrodectus. Adversaries pair a benign AutoHotKey interpreter with a malicious script to run under a trusted-looking binary, so AutoNotify.exe driving an .ahk file is a high-signal execution indicator.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1105 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Reconnaissance and Payload Download by Node Web Process

Suspicious Bash Reverse Shell via /dev/tcp

Malicious Remote Payload Piped to Shell via Curl or Wget

Windows Autoit3.exe Created by Uncommon Process (curl.exe/KeyScramblerLogon.exe/etc.)

Malicious China Chopper Web Shell Command Pattern in IIS Worker Process (via process_creation)

Malicious IIS Worker Process Spawning Command Shell after ASP.NET ViewState Injection (via process_creation)

Suspicious Remote Payload Download Piped to Shell on Linux (via process_creation)

Suspicious APT42 Remote Payload Download via PowerShell Web Client (via ps_script)

Suspicious bitsadmin Download of Python Payload via COLDRIVER

Malicious AutoHotKey Runner AutoNotify Executing AHKBot Looper Script (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1105 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

Full detection rule

Unlock this rule to view and copy it

The detection logic is included with a plan. Everything else — context, mappings and implementation details — stays free on this page.

Sign in for 3 free unlocks

Signing in gives you 3 unlocks to spend on any rule in the library. No card, and they do not expire.

Also included

Unlocked rules convert on this page — to Splunk SPL or Splunk — Raw Index SPL or Microsoft Sentinel KQL or Microsoft Sentinel ASIM ASIM KQL or Microsoft Defender XDR KQL or Elastic Security KQL or Elastic Security Lucene or Elastic Security ES|QL or CrowdStrike Falcon CQL or SentinelOne PowerQuery or Palo Alto Cortex XDR XQL or Carbon Black Cloud Platform Search or Carbon Black EDR Process Search or Google Security Operations UDM Search or IBM QRadar AQL or Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM Rules expression or Rapid7 InsightIDR LEQL or Graylog Search or OpenSearch Lucene or OpenSearch PPL PPL or Grafana Loki LogQL or SQLite SQL or Zircolite SQLite — with the log-source profile the engine picked, the field map it used, and everything it could not express. Converting a rule you have unlocked costs no further credit.

See it run on a free rule →Convert your own rule →