Suspicious Executable Launched By Explorer From Archive Path (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1204.002Malicious File
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects explorer.exe launching an executable whose path resides inside a ZIP archive directory, matching TinyNote delivery where a user runs an EXE directly from an opened archive. Executing binaries from within archive temp paths is a common initial-access vector and bypasses mark-of-the-web prompts.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1204.002 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Interlock Fake Updater Executable Execution

Malicious Office Application Loading a User-Path DLL via Regsvr32 or Rundll32 (via process_creation)

Suspicious Program Execution From a Mounted ISO or Disk Image (via process_creation)

SocGholish Fake Browser Update Script Execution (via process_creation)

Uncommon Executable Written to Startup Folder by WinRAR via CVE-2025-8088 Path Traversal (via file_event)

Malicious KB Document Masqueraded Executable Spawned by Script Interpreter via RoKRAT Loader (via process_creation)

Suspicious Double Extension docx Executable Execution (via process_creation)

Malicious LitterDrifter VBScript Execution via wscript trash.dll

Suspicious msiexec Spawning Hidden Command Script (via process_creation)

Suspicious Executable Launched By Explorer From Archive Path (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1204.002 · 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 →