{
  "title": "SystemHelpDesk Detection - Alien (Banking Trojan) Execution & Triage",
  "id": "718bc494-4904-5a0c-9070-0f8a7285a95f",
  "status": "production",
  "description": "Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated with the Alien malware family. Detects recon staging, certutil file payload staging, and web-inject process proxying characteristic of banking trojan initial loaders.",
  "references": [
    "https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/alien",
    "https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/banking-trojan-protection",
    "https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/"
  ],
  "author": "Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP",
  "date": "2026-10-14",
  "modified": "2026-10-14",
  "tags": [
    "attack.banking-trojan",
    "author.ricky-jordan",
    "source.systemhelpdesk-mfc",
    "attack.t1404",
    "attack.t1411",
    "attack.t1418",
    "attack.t1437",
    "attack.t1636"
  ],
  "logsource": {
    "category": "process_creation",
    "product": "windows"
  },
  "detection": {
    "selection_process": {
      "Image|endswith": [
        "\\svchost.exe",
        "\\explorer.exe",
        "\\msiexec.exe",
        "\\certutil.exe"
      ],
      "CommandLine|contains": [
        "-urlcache",
        "-split -f",
        "ipconfig /all",
        "route print",
        "netstat -ano"
      ]
    },
    "condition": "selection_process"
  },
  "falsepositives": [
    "Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows",
    "Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents"
  ],
  "level": "high"
}