Mshta.exe spawns from a browser process

Cortex XSIAM Analytics Alert Reference by Alert name

Product
Cortex XSIAM
Last date published
2025-11-12
Category
Analytics Alert Reference
Index by
Alert name

Synopsis

Activation Period

14 Days

Training Period

30 Days

Test Period

N/A (single event)

Deduplication Period

1 Day

Required Data

  • Requires:
    • XDR Agent

Detection Modules

Detector Tags

ATT&CK Tactic

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

System Binary Proxy Execution: Mshta (T1218.005)

Severity

Low

Description

Mshta is the Microsoft HTML Application Host. It executes HTML applications on Windows. Detected when a browser process has spawned mshta, which can be a potential attack vector.

Attacker's Goals

Execute malicious code through system binary proxy execution to bypass application controls and security monitoring.

Investigative actions

  • Examine the command line arguments passed to mshta for suspicious URLs or file paths.
  • Check the browser process that spawned mshta for signs of compromise.
  • Review network connections around the time of execution.
  • Analyze any HTML applications (.hta files) that may have been executed.

Variations

Mshta.exe spawns from a browser process that executes a script from a URL

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

System Binary Proxy Execution: Mshta (T1218.005)

Severity

Medium

Description

Mshta is the Microsoft HTML Application Host. It executes HTML applications on Windows. Detected when a browser process has spawned mshta, which can be a potential attack vector.

Attacker's Goals

Execute malicious code through system binary proxy execution to bypass application controls and security monitoring.

Investigative actions

  • Examine the command line arguments passed to mshta for suspicious URLs or file paths.
  • Check the browser process that spawned mshta for signs of compromise.
  • Review network connections around the time of execution.
  • Analyze any HTML applications (.hta files) that may have been executed.