Suspicious Hidden PowerShell Download Cradle Used by DragonForce Ransomware (via process_creation)

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-09-26
Updated
2026-09-26

ATT&CK techniques

Execution
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Persistence

  5. Priv Esc

  6. Defense Evasion

  7. Cred Access

  8. Discovery

  9. Lateral Movement

  10. Collection

  11. C2

  12. Exfiltration

  13. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects PowerShell executed with a hidden window that also invokes a remote download cradle, matching the DragonForce ransomware intrusion pattern for staging Cobalt Strike beacons. Operators use this to fetch second-stage payloads while evading user visibility. Early detection blocks the ransomware kill chain before encryption and lateral movement.

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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.