Sigma rule: Task Scheduler DLL Loaded By Application Located In Potentially Suspicious Location

Rule

Title

Task Scheduler DLL Loaded By Application Located In Potentially Suspicious Location

Status

test

Level

low

Author

Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel

Date

2024-09-02

File

rules-threat-hunting/windows/image_load/image_load_dll_taskschd_by_process_in_potentially_suspicious_location.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects the loading of the "taskschd.dll" module from a process that located in a potentially suspicious or uncommon directory.
The loading of this DLL might indicate that the application have the capability to create a scheduled task via the "Schedule.Service" COM object.
Investigation of the loading application and its behavior is required to determining if its malicious.

Log source

product

windows

category

image_load

Detection

selection_dll:
    - ImageLoaded|endswith: '\taskschd.dll'
    - OriginalFileName: 'taskschd.dll'
selection_paths:
    Image|contains:
        - ':\Temp\'
        - ':\Users\Public\'
        - ':\Windows\Temp\'
        - '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
        - '\Desktop\'
        - '\Downloads\'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Some installers might generate false positives, apply additional filters accordingly.

Tags

• attack.persistence
• attack.execution
• attack.privilege-escalation
• attack.t1053.005
• detection.threat-hunting

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1053.005

References

• https://www.logpoint.com/en/blog/shenanigans-of-scheduled-tasks/
• https://x.com/Max_Mal_/status/1826179497084739829

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules-threat-hunting/windows/image_load/image_load_dll_taskschd_by_process_in_potentially_suspicious_location.yml