huntrule

Windows PresentationHost.EXE downloading files via URL in command line

Flags PresentationHost.EXE executions whose command line includes http/https/ftp URLs, indicating potential arbitrary file downloads.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-08-19
Updated
2026-07-30
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule identifies process executions of PresentationHost.exe where the command line contains a URL scheme (http://, https://, or ftp://). PresentationHost can be used to run .xbap Browser Application content, which may facilitate arbitrary file downloads. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry, matching the process image (PresentationHost.exe) and the presence of URL strings in the command line.

Reporting behind it

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Windows PresentationHost.EXE downloading files via URL in command line
Pivot detection · T1218 · 9 related

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