Suspicious MSC File with Double Extension (via file_event)

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1036.007Double File Extension
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of a Microsoft Management Console file that uses a document double extension to disguise itself as a PDF. The FLUX#CONSOLE campaign delivered an ARRVL themed pdf.msc file to exploit MMC for payload execution.

Reporting behind it

Related detections7 linkedT1036.007 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Double Extension docx Executable Execution (via process_creation)

Suspicious MSHTA Execution of Polyglot PDF File Spawned by cmd (via process_creation)

Masquerading Noodlophile Payload Execution via Video File Double Extension (via process_creation)

Suspicious Double Extension PDF Executable via Process Creation

Windows Suspicious Double-Extension Execution via Parent Command Line

Windows File Creation: Suspicious LNK Double-Extension Targeted by Document/Image Prefixes

Windows File Events: Flag Files With Double Extensions (e.g., .docx.exe)

Suspicious MSC File with Double Extension (via file_event)

Pivot detection · T1036.007 · 7 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 →