Suspicious WScript Executing VBScript from Masqueraded File Extension

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1059.005Visual Basic
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1036.008Masquerade File Type
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects wscript.exe running a VBScript engine against files with non-script extensions such as drv, regtrans-ms or ntuser.dat, an execution and masquerading technique used by Shuckworm to hide its GammaSteel loader.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1059.005 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Batch Script Execution Spawned by wscript via VBScript

Suspicious NW.js Runtime Execution from AppData Roaming by Charcoal Stork (via process_creation)

Suspicious WScript VBS Execution from Temp Directory in CVE-2023-36884 Exploit Chain

Suspicious VBScript Execution from ProgramLogs Directory via Windows Script Host

Malicious Script Execution via Cisco AnyConnect OnConnect Handler Abuse

Malicious rundll32 IternalJob Export Spawned by wscript (via process_creation)

Suspicious System Reconnaissance via Windows Script Host

Suspicious Creation of PROMPTFLUX Thinking Robot Log in Temp

Suspicious wscript Execution of MicrosoftEdgeUpdate VBS Masquerade

Suspicious WScript Executing VBScript from Masqueraded File Extension

Pivot detection · T1059.005 · 9 related

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

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 →