Suspicious PsExec Service Launching Encoded PowerShell Payload

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Lateral Movement

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.001PowerShell
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
- T1021.002SMB/Windows Admin Shares
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects the PsExec service process spawning PowerShell with an encoded command, a lateral movement and payload delivery pattern used by Spirals ransomware operators against remote hosts.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.001 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious PowerShell Remote Script Execution via IEX DownloadString

Suspicious Impacket Style Command Execution with ADMIN Share Output Redirect

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Malicious SharePoint ToolShell Post-Exploitation via Encoded PowerShell (via process_creation)

Suspicious In-Memory PowerShell Execution from Web Server via Automation Assembly (via image_load)

Suspicious NetExec Post-Exploitation Tool Execution via nxc (via process_creation)

Malicious Qilin Chrome Credential Harvesting Script Execution via IPScanner (via process_creation)

Suspicious Hidden PowerShell Spawned by Script Host via process_creation

Suspicious Run Key Persistence Referencing PowerShell Script via registry_set

Suspicious PsExec Service Launching Encoded PowerShell 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.

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