Suspicious Run Key Masquerading as GoogleUpdate From Wrong Path via Registry Set (via registry_set)

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder
Priv Esc
- T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder
Defense Evasion
- T1036.005Match Legitimate Resource Name or Location
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a Run key autostart entry masquerading as GoogleUpdate but pointing to a payload outside the legitimate Google update directory, a persistence and masquerading technique used by malware from MSIX installers per Red Canary. A trusted-looking name paired with the wrong file path is a high-confidence indicator of a malicious autorun disguised as software updater.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1547.001 — drag to rearrange

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Suspicious Run Key Masquerading as GoogleUpdate From Wrong Path via Registry Set (via registry_set)

Pivot detection · T1547.001 · 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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