Suspicious Node.js Spawning Script Interpreter for Dropped Payload

ATT&CK techniques

Initial Access → Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
- T1195.002Compromise Software Supply Chain
Execution
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a Node.js process launching the Windows script host or a Python interpreter against a payload staged in the temp directory, the dropper chain of the compromised axios package RAT. The malicious postinstall script writes a VBS or Python loader to a temp location and executes it to establish the cross-platform RAT. Node spawning wscript or python on a temp script is anomalous for normal package installs.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.001 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Bun Runtime Spawned by Node During npm Lifecycle

Suspicious Node Package Install Spawning Script Interpreters via process_creation

Malicious PowerShell Download from bullethost.cloud Staging Server

Suspicious Node.js Spawning PowerShell Archive Download to Temp

Malicious Metasploit Stager Delivery via mshta Remote HTA (via process_creation)

Suspicious PowerShell Download of Disguised Payload to ProgramData

Suspicious PowerShell WebClient Download of Executable Payload

Malicious Script Host Spawning PowerShell in Gootloader Chain

Suspicious PsExec Service Launching Encoded PowerShell Payload

Suspicious Node.js Spawning Script Interpreter for Dropped Payload

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 →