Suspicious Archive Expansion into Public User Directory via PowerShell (via ps_script)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects PowerShell Expand-Archive activity that extracts content into the C users Public directory, a world-writable staging location abused by the AsyncRAT infostealer chain. Combined with the BITS download of the original archive this reveals payload unpacking prior to execution. Legitimate software rarely unpacks archives into the Public profile.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.001 — drag to rearrange

In-Memory Phantom Stealer In-Memory Process Injection via PowerShell Add-Type API Chain (via ps_script)

PowerShell Hidden DownloadString Execution via ClickFix Fake CAPTCHA (via process_creation)

IDAT Loader Execution via PowerShell Running update.ps1 from WindowsApps (via process_creation)

RokRAT LNK Command Locating PowerShell via Directory Wildcard Search (via process_creation)

Malicious PowerShell Download Cradle With DownloadString

Suspicious PowerShell Encoded Command Execution

Suspicious PowerShell Hidden Download Cradle via IEX

Suspicious PowerShell IEX Execution of documentLoger Payload via CharmingCypress

Suspicious PowerShell WebClient DownloadString Payload Retrieval via Script (via ps_script)

Suspicious Archive Expansion into Public User Directory via PowerShell (via ps_script)

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.

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 →