Malicious Masquerading TiWorker Spawning PowerShell Downloader via process_creation

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1036.005Match Legitimate Resource Name or Location
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a masquerading TiWorker.exe process spawning PowerShell to fetch a remotely hosted payload disguised as a PNG image, matching the GHOSTENGINE crypto mining infection chain. The legitimate TiWorker.exe is a Windows Modules Installer worker and does not normally launch PowerShell download activity. This behavior indicates process masquerading for initial payload retrieval.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious Masquerading TiWorker Spawning PowerShell Downloader via process_creation

Pivot detection · T1059.001 · 9 related

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

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