Suspicious Whoami Discovery Spawned by Windows Script Host via Process Creation (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Discovery

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.007JavaScript
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
- T1033System Owner/User Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects whoami /all discovery executed under a Windows script host parent, the reconnaissance SocGholish performs immediately after its malicious JavaScript runs as emulated by Red Canary. Script hosts collecting user and privilege context are a hallmark of the SocGholish fake-update loader beginning hands-off enumeration of a new victim.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.007 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Node.js Execution from User AppData Directory (via process_creation)

Malicious Shai-Hulud npm Worm Marker via SHA1HULUD Process Name (via process_creation)

Suspicious Script Host Downloader via MSXML and WScript Shell

Suspicious Localized Administrator Account and Group Enumeration After Citrix Bleed Exploitation

Malicious VVS Discord Stealer Script Drop via injection-obf.js (via file_event)

Malicious Recon Output Staged in Qlik Sense Fonts Directory by Cactus Ransomware

Suspicious npm Postinstall node Execution of setup.cjs with Warnings Suppressed

Suspicious node.exe Executing Compiled JavaScript Bytecode File

Suspicious Chromium Browser Launch With Remote Debugging for DRILLAPP (via process_creation)

Suspicious Whoami Discovery Spawned by Windows Script Host via Process Creation (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1059.007 · 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 →