Suspicious EtherRAT Node.js Implant Background Execution via Shell (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → C2

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.004Unix Shell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
- T1105Ingress Tool Transfer
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a Node.js process being launched detached in the background with nohup on Linux hosts. This pattern is used by the EtherRAT implant to keep its React2Shell payload running after the initial dropper executes. Background Node.js execution started outside of a managed service supervisor can indicate an implant maintaining execution.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.004 — drag to rearrange

Malicious Download Piped to Shell via curl or wget (via process_creation)

Possible Mirai IoT Payload Staging via chmod on Linux (via process_creation)

Suspicious GeoServer Java Process Spawning Download Utility

Malicious Linux Payload Download and Execution Chain via Wget and Chmod (via process_creation)

Suspicious tmp Download and Execute Chain on Embedded Linux

Suspicious Bash Dev-TCP Reverse Shell Execution

Malicious Remote Script Piped to Shell via Curl (via process_creation)

Suspicious Downloaded Shell Stager Made Executable Via Chmod 777

Malicious Remote Script Piped Directly to a Shell (via process_creation)

Suspicious EtherRAT Node.js Implant Background Execution via Shell (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1059.004 · 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 →