Malicious QEMU SSH Tunnel via Scheduled Task on Nonstandard Port (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → C2

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1053.005Scheduled Task
Persistence
- T1053.005Scheduled Task
Priv Esc
- T1053.005Scheduled Task
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
- T1572Protocol Tunneling
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a scheduled task launching qemu-system-x86_64 to establish an SSH tunnel on nonstandard port 22022, a covert access technique observed after SolarWinds Web Help Desk exploitation. Observed in Elastic Security Labs telemetry where a TPMProfiler task runs QEMU to proxy traffic and evade network controls for persistent remote access.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious QEMU SSH Tunnel via Scheduled Task on Nonstandard Port (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1053.005 · 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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