Windows Office Product Spawned Uncommon Process: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:3
The following analytic detects a Microsoft Office product spawning uncommon processes. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process creation events where Office applications are the parent process. This activity is significant as it may indicate an attempt of a malicious macro execution or exploitation of an unknown vulnerability in an office product, in order to bypass security controls. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system compromise, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the network.
Winword Spawning Windows Script Host: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:7
The following analytic has been deprecated in favour of a more generic approach. The following analytic identifies instances where Microsoft Winword.exe spawns Windows Script Host processes (cscript.exe or wscript.exe). This behavior is detected using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is Winword.exe. This activity is significant because it is uncommon and often associated with spearphishing attacks, where malicious scripts are executed via document macros. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to code execution, allowing attackers to gain initial access, execute further payloads, or establish persistence within the environment.
Winword Spawning Cmd: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:8
The following analytic has been deprecated in favour of a more generic approach in "Windows Office Product Spawned Uncommon Process". The following analytic identifies instances where Microsoft Word (winword.exe) spawns the command prompt (cmd.exe). This behavior is detected using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is winword.exe. This activity is significant because it is uncommon and often associated with spearphishing attacks, where malicious attachments execute commands via cmd.exe. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands, potentially leading to further system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.
Office Application Drop Executable: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:10
The following analytic has been deprecated. The following analytic detects Microsoft Office applications dropping or creating executables or scripts on a Windows OS. It leverages process creation and file system events from the Endpoint data model to identify Office applications like Word or Excel generating files with extensions such as .exe, .dll, or .ps1. This behavior is significant as it is often associated with spear-phishing attacks where malicious files are dropped to compromise the host. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to code execution, privilege escalation, or persistent access, posing a severe threat to the environment.
Windows Office Product Dropped Uncommon File: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:3
The following analytic detects Microsoft Office applications dropping or creating executables or scripts on a Windows OS. It leverages process creation and file system events from the Endpoint data model to identify Office applications like Word or Excel generating files with extensions such as ".exe", ".dll", or ".ps1". This behavior is significant as it is often associated with spear-phishing attacks where malicious files are dropped to compromise the host. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to code execution, privilege escalation, or persistent access, posing a severe threat to the environment.
Winword Spawning PowerShell: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:8
The following analytic has been deprecated in favour of a more generic approach in "Windows Office Product Spawned Uncommon Process". The following analytic identifies instances where Microsoft Word (winword.exe) spawns a PowerShell process. This behavior is detected using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry, focusing on process creation events where the parent process is winword.exe. This activity is significant because it is uncommon and often associated with spearphishing attacks, where malicious documents execute encoded PowerShell commands. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, or further lateral movement within the network.
Office Product Spawn CMD Process: endpointEndpoint2025-02-10version:10
The following analytic has been deprecated in favour of a more generic approach in "Windows Office Product Spawned Uncommon Process". The following analytic detects an Office product spawning a CMD process, which is indicative of a macro executing shell commands to download or run malicious code. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process and parent process names. This activity is significant as it often signals the execution of malicious payloads, such as those seen in Trickbot spear-phishing campaigns. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to unauthorized code execution, potentially compromising the system and allowing further malicious activities.
