TASK#STOMP is the name Securonix gives to an observed Windows intrusion chain that combines rotating scheduled tasks and a Startup-folder script with a PowerShell backdoor for document theft, surveillance, credential collection, and remote command execution. Securonix Threat Research, in a report listed September 21, 2026, by Akshay Gaikwad and Aaron Beardslee, describes how the chain works and what defenders can look for. It does not establish how the initial script reached the computer or identify a threat group.
What is TASK#STOMP?
TASK#STOMP is Securonix’s technical analysis of a specific observed Windows intrusion chain, not evidence of a broadly prevalent campaign. The chain began with a randomly named VBScript on a user’s desktop. The report does not determine whether it arrived through email, a browser download, removable media, remote access, or another route.
The script stages components in %LOCALAPPDATA%WinDefendSvc, a user-writable directory whose name resembles a Windows service. From there, it sets up ways to relaunch the chain and starts PowerShell components that decode and run embedded payloads.
How does the intrusion chain run?
The VBScript orchestrates setup
The VBScript registers four scheduled tasks using XML files, copies msdiag.vbs into the user’s Startup folder, terminates existing payload instances, changes file timestamps, and launches two hidden PowerShell scripts. It also invokes .NET tooling for runtime C# compilation, opens a Chrome page, and runs a cleanup batch file. The report does not confirm the Chrome page’s purpose or detail all files the batch file attempts to delete.
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PowerShell decodes the payloads
The two PowerShell branches decode Base64 data files named diag_pack.dat and win_conn_cfg.dat into in-memory script blocks. Securonix’s analysis of the decoded payloads confirms data collection, document exfiltration, and arbitrary remote PowerShell command execution. The modules use two redundant command-and-control (C2) domains, retry transfers, keep local tracking data, and attempt to sustain the paired module.
How does TASK#STOMP persist?
Persistence is layered: the XML-defined scheduled tasks and the Startup-folder copy provide separate ways to relaunch or reinforce the chain. The task display names change between execution passes even though the XML files are reused. Names that resemble services are therefore weak identifiers on their own; task definitions, referenced paths, process ancestry, and creation events are more useful investigative evidence.
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What can the backdoor collect or do?
- Find and exfiltrate documents: discover files and transfer selected data, with retries when transfers fail.
- Monitor file activity: watch fixed drives for newly created or modified files using
System.IO.FileSystemWatcher. - Collect credentials and user activity: query saved Wi-Fi profiles with
netshusingkey=clear, capture screenshots throughSystem.Drawing’sCopyFromScreen, and steal and clear clipboard contents. - Gather system and victim information: collect information about the infected system and its user.
- Run remote commands: execute arbitrary PowerShell commands received from the C2 infrastructure.
Securonix characterizes the observed payload as focused on espionage and persistent collection, not as destructive. Arbitrary command execution could, however, enable an operator to run additional malware or disruptive actions.
What should defenders hunt for?
Correlate endpoint behavior
Look for wscript.exe or cscript.exe starting schtasks.exe with /Create and /XML, particularly when the XML files are in AppData or another user-writable location. Multiple task registrations under the same script ancestry, hidden PowerShell launched from AppData, and PowerShell decoding the two named .dat files are useful pivots. Where present, execution-policy-bypass options add context but should not be treated as a stand-alone indicator.
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Also investigate PowerShell spawning csc.exe and cvtres.exe, repeated Startup-folder execution, and timestamp changes in the same process chain. Securonix reports that five staged artifacts shared a LastWriteTime of 2024-01-15 08:30:00 (Securonix Threat Research, 2026). This is an artifact-level indicator, not evidence that the intrusion occurred on that date.
Review network and payload indicators
The report names corecloudfileshare[.]xyz and attachmentsharingdrive[.]xyz as C2 domains and says both modules authenticate requests with a static X-Auth-Token header, rotating between servers when a request fails. It also identifies these API paths:
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/api/c2/poll//api/c2/result//api/client_online/api/heartbeat/upload
These are indicators reported in the analysis, not confirmation that the domains or paths remain operational. Check them against current infrastructure and telemetry before using them for blocking or attribution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should an incident responder investigate and contain it?
- Preserve evidence first. Save the task XML files and the staged
WinDefendSvcdirectory before removing components. Correlate Security Event ID 4698 with Task Scheduler Operational logs to identify task creation and activity. - Collect script telemetry. Retain PowerShell Script Block Logging, including Event IDs 4103 and 4104, and AMSI telemetry where available. Preserve relevant NTFS timestamp evidence, the USN Journal, and MFT records.
- Contain and remove the chain as a whole. Terminate active script processes, remove all associated scheduled tasks and the Startup-folder copy, and remove the staged artifacts. The report recommends blocking the listed infrastructure.
- Verify after reboot. Recheck task definitions, the Startup folder, the staged directory, and endpoint and network telemetry to confirm the components do not return.
What remains unknown?
The report does not establish the initial delivery route, the complete triggers and settings for every task, or the cleanup batch file’s full deletion targets. Its observed process chain and payload analysis also do not provide a victim count, prevalence rate, or named attribution. Those limits matter: a desktop script path alone cannot identify how the infection began, and the report’s indicators should not be used to infer broader campaign activity.
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