title: MSHTA Suspicious Execution 01
id: cc7abbd0-762b-41e3-8a26-57ad50d2eea3
status: experimental
description: Detection for mshta.exe suspicious execution patterns sometimes involving file polyglotism
date: 2019/02/22
modified: 2020/08/23
author: Diego Perez (@darkquassar), Markus Neis, Swisscom (Improve Rule)
references:
    - http://blog.sevagas.com/?Hacking-around-HTA-files
    - https://0x00sec.org/t/clientside-exploitation-in-2018-how-pentesting-has-changed/7356
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/data/xml/xslt-stylesheet-scripting-using-msxsl-script
    - https://medium.com/tsscyber/pentesting-and-hta-bypassing-powershell-constrained-language-mode-53a42856c997
tags:
    - attack.defense_evasion
    - attack.t1140
    - attack.t1218.005
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
falsepositives: 
    - False positives depend on scripts and administrative tools used in the monitored environment
level: high
detection:
    selection1:
        Image|endswith: '\mshta.exe'
        CommandLine|contains: 
            - 'vbscript' 
            - '.jpg'
            - '.png'
            - '.lnk'
            # - '.chm'  # could be prone to false positives
            - '.xls'
            - '.doc'
            - '.zip'
    condition:
        selection1