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MediumSigmaHQSaksham Bhattarai +1

Microsoft Office Application Loading Task Scheduler DLL

Detects a Microsoft Office application loading taskschd.dll, which exposes COM interfaces for managing Windows Scheduled Tasks. This load is an early precursor to scheduled task creation or modification and has been…

Description

Detects a Microsoft Office application loading taskschd.dll, which exposes COM interfaces for managing Windows Scheduled Tasks. This load is an early precursor to scheduled task creation or modification and has been frequently observed in macro-enabled malicious documents attempting to establish persistence.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
LinuxmacOSWindows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.

Log source product
windows
Log source category
image_load

Known benign triggers

  • Legitimate add-ins or automation scripts that use Office applications to manage scheduled tasks (rare in most environments)

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