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What Securonix observed in the TASK#STOMP chain
Securonix Threat Research describes the chain as beginning with a randomly named VBScript on a user’s desktop. The script stages components under %LOCALAPPDATA%WinDefendSvc, a user-writable directory whose name resembles a Windows service. The observed sequence includes:
- The VBScript registers four scheduled tasks using XML files.
- It places
msdiag.vbsin the user’s Startup folder, creating another route for the chain to run again. - It terminates existing payload instances, changes timestamps, and starts two hidden PowerShell scripts.
- The PowerShell branches decode
diag_pack.datandwin_conn_cfg.datinto in-memory script blocks. The chain also invokes runtime C# compilation through .NET tooling. - It opens a Chrome page and runs a cleanup batch file.
The report does not establish the cleanup batch file’s full deletion targets, all task triggers and settings, or the purpose of the Chrome page.
How persistence works—and why task names are weak indicators
XML-defined scheduled tasks
The four tasks are registered from XML definitions, but their service-like display names change between execution passes while the XML files are reused. A name-only detection can therefore miss a later pass or flag unrelated software. The more durable pivots are the task definition, referenced paths, creating process and its ancestry, and task-registration events.
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Startup-folder script
The copy of msdiag.vbs provides a persistence route separate from the scheduled tasks. Because the two mechanisms can reinforce the same chain, removing only a task or only the Startup copy can leave another relaunch path intact.
What the decoded PowerShell backdoor can do
Securonix’s analysis of the decoded payloads confirms capabilities beyond staging and persistence:
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- Find documents and exfiltrate files, with retries for transfers and local tracking data.
- Monitor fixed drives for newly created or modified files using
System.IO.FileSystemWatcher. - Collect saved Wi-Fi passwords, system details, and victim information.
- Capture screenshots and copy clipboard contents, then clear the clipboard.
- Run arbitrary PowerShell commands received remotely.
The modules attempt to keep the paired module running and use two C2 domains, rotating between servers when a connection fails. Securonix reports that requests use a static X-Auth-Token header. Remote command execution could enable additional malware or disruptive actions, but the report characterizes the observed payload as focused on espionage and persistent collection; it does not establish that this chain was destructive.
How defenders can hunt for TASK#STOMP
Correlate endpoint, task, script, and network telemetry rather than relying on one filename, task name, or indicator. Useful pivots identified in the Securonix report include:
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| Evidence | What to examine |
|---|---|
| Task registration | wscript.exe or cscript.exe spawning schtasks.exe with /Create and /XML, particularly when the XML files are in AppData or another user-writable location. Look for multiple registrations under the same script ancestry. |
| PowerShell execution | Hidden PowerShell or execution-policy-bypassed PowerShell launched from AppData; decoding activity involving diag_pack.dat or win_conn_cfg.dat; and PowerShell spawning csc.exe or cvtres.exe. |
| Timestamp artifact | Five staged artifacts are reported with the same LastWriteTime: 2024-01-15 08:30:00 (Securonix Threat Research, 2026). This is an artifact-level timestamp, not the date of the intrusion. |
| Network activity | Requests involving the reported C2 domains, the X-Auth-Token header, or API paths /api/c2/poll/, /api/c2/result/, /api/client_online, /api/heartbeat, and /upload. |
| Collection behavior | netsh WLAN profile queries using key=clear, screenshot capture through System.Drawing’s CopyFromScreen, and System.IO.FileSystemWatcher activity on fixed drives. |
The report names corecloudfileshare[.]xyz and attachmentsharingdrive[.]xyz as C2 domains. Treat these as report-time indicators: check current infrastructure and your own telemetry before using them for live blocking or drawing attribution conclusions.
What to preserve and remove during response
Follow your organization’s incident-response procedures and preserve evidence before deleting the staged components. Securonix recommends the following sequence:
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- Preserve the task definitions and staged files. Collect the task XML and the contents of
%LOCALAPPDATA%WinDefendSvcbefore remediation; retain relevant endpoint and network records. - Correlate task and script execution. Review Security Event ID 4698 and Task Scheduler Operational logs alongside process ancestry. Retain PowerShell Script Block Logging, including Event IDs 4103 and 4104, and AMSI telemetry where available.
- Preserve filesystem evidence. Review NTFS timestamp evidence and retain relevant USN Journal and MFT records before cleanup alters the evidence.
- Contain and remove the complete chain. Stop active script processes, remove all related scheduled tasks and the Startup-folder copy, and remove staged artifacts together. The report also advises blocking the listed infrastructure.
- Verify after reboot. Check that the tasks, Startup script, staged components, and suspicious execution do not return.
What is not known about the incident
The Securonix report, authored by Akshay Gaikwad and Aaron Beardslee and listed on September 21, 2026, documents one analyzed intrusion chain. It does not provide a victim count or prevalence rate, and it does not name an attributed threat group. The desktop location of the first observed VBScript does not reveal whether it arrived through email, a browser download, removable media, remote access, or an archive. Those possibilities remain unconfirmed.
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