Suspicious WinSvcUpd Scheduled Task Persistence via schtasks (via process_creation)

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-05-14
Updated
2026-08-28

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Defense Evasion
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Cred Access

  5. Discovery

  6. Lateral Movement

  7. Collection

  8. C2

  9. Exfiltration

  10. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of a scheduled task named WinSvcUpd that runs PowerShell with a bypassed execution policy at logon with highest privileges. The GPUGate malware registered this task masquerading as a Windows update service for persistence.

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Suspicious WinSvcUpd Scheduled Task Persistence via schtasks (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.