Malicious UAC Bypass via explorer.exe NOUACCHECK Argument

ATT&CK techniques

Priv Esc → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
- T1548.002Bypass User Account Control
Defense Evasion
- T1548.002Bypass User Account Control
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects execution of explorer.exe with the undocumented /NOUACCHECK argument, which spawns a child process that inherits elevated integrity from its parent while bypassing User Account Control checks. This technique was observed in Rapture ransomware intrusions to escalate privileges before payload execution. The argument has no legitimate interactive use and strongly indicates a UAC bypass attempt.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious UAC Bypass via explorer.exe NOUACCHECK Argument

Pivot detection · T1548.002 · 9 related

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