Web Server Worker Process Spawning Command Interpreter
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-06-07
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
PersistenceRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects the IIS worker process w3wp.exe spawning command shells or administrative utilities, behavior consistent with the China Chopper web shell used in Operation Soft Cell against telecommunications providers. A web server worker launching cmd, wmic or PowerShell strongly indicates web shell command execution.
Reporting behind it
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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