Suspicious Scheduled Task Updater Creation for Loader Persistence via process_creation

PremiumReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-09-17
Updated
2026-09-17

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Priv Esc
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Defense Evasion

  5. Cred Access

  6. Discovery

  7. Lateral Movement

  8. Collection

  9. C2

  10. Exfiltration

  11. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of a scheduled task named Updater configured to run at user logon via schtasks and re-launch a loader DLL through rundll32, a persistence mechanism used by LATRODECTUS. The task mimics legitimate software while re-executing the implant to survive reboots. The logon trigger combined with rundll32 execution is suspicious.

Related detections9 linkedT1053.005 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious Scheduled Task Running WScript With JScript Engine
Suspicious SUNBURST EventCacheManager Scheduled Task Artifact (via process_creation)
Suspicious Scheduled Task Creation Running VBS at One Minute Interval via Blind Eagle (via process_creation)
Suspicious Latrodectus Payload Execution from Custom_update Directory (via process_creation)
Suspicious Scheduled Task Persistence Named SchedulerLsass via schtasks (via process_creation)
Malicious SYSTEM Persistence via Scheduled Task Running rundll32 at Startup (via process_creation)
Suspicious Per-Minute SYSTEM Scheduled Task With Highest Privileges
Suspicious Scheduled Task Executing Rundll32 DLL Export by Ordinal
Suspicious Scheduled Task CacheTask Reconfigured to Run as SYSTEM
Suspicious Scheduled Task Updater Creation for Loader Persistence via process_creation
Pivot detection · T1053.005 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.