Suspicious notepad Spawned by mshta for Process Injection
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Priv Esc → Defense EvasionRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects mshta spawning notepad which in the WithSecure Windows lab was created suspended as an injection host for a Covenant Grunt implant. The script host mshta launching notepad has no legitimate purpose and strongly suggests it is being used as a hollow target for process injection.
Reporting behind it
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
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Also included
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