XSL Script Processing via WMIC or MSXSL (via process_creation)
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-09-04
- Updated
- 2026-09-04
ATT&CK techniques
Defense EvasionRecon
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 XSL script processing through wmic.exe /format with a remote or local .xsl stylesheet or through msxsl.exe, both of which execute embedded script and proxy code past application allowlisting. XSL script processing is a signed-binary-proxy-execution technique highlighted in the Red Canary Threat Detection Report. Detecting these invocations surfaces trusted-binary abuse used to run attacker-controlled script.
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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