title: Potential RCE Exploitation Attempt In NodeJS
id: 97661d9d-2beb-4630-b423-68985291a8af
status: test
description: Detects process execution related errors in NodeJS. If the exceptions are caused due to user input then they may suggest an RCE vulnerability.
references:
    - https://www.wix.engineering/post/threat-and-vulnerability-hunting-with-application-server-error-logs
author: Moti Harmats
date: 2023-02-11
tags:
    - attack.initial-access
    - attack.t1190
logsource:
    category: application
    product: nodejs
    definition: 'Requirements: application error logs must be collected (with LOG_LEVEL=ERROR and above)'
detection:
    keywords:
        - 'node:child_process'
    condition: keywords
falsepositives:
    - Puppeteer invocation exceptions often contain child_process related errors, that doesn't necessarily mean that the app is vulnerable.
level: high

title: Potentially Suspicious Inline JavaScript Execution via NodeJS Binary
id: 8537c866-072e-460d-bfff-aaf39cbd73d3
status: experimental
description: Detects potentially suspicious inline JavaScript execution using Node.js with specific keywords in the command line.
references:
    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/04/15/threat-actors-misuse-node-js-to-deliver-malware-and-other-malicious-payloads/
author: Microsoft (idea), Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
date: 2025-04-21
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1059.007
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\node.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'node.exe'
        - Product: 'Node.js'
    selection_cmd:
        CommandLine|contains|all:
            - 'http'
            - 'execSync'
            - 'spawn'
            - 'fs'
            - 'path'
            - 'zlib'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate scripts using Node.js with these modules
level: medium

title: NodeJS Execution of JavaScript File
id: ba3874b9-0fae-465f-836c-eb5d071a1789
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects execution of JavaScript or JSC files using NodeJs binary node.exe, that could be potentially suspicious.
    Node.js is a popular open-source JavaScript runtime that runs code outside browsers and is widely used for both frontend and backend development.
    Adversaries have been observed abusing Node.js to disguise malware as legitimate processes, evade security defenses, and maintain persistence within target systems.
    Because Node.js is commonly used, this rule may generate false positives in some environments. However, if such activity is unusual in your environment, it is highly suspicious and warrants immediate investigation.
references:
    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/04/15/threat-actors-misuse-node-js-to-deliver-malware-and-other-malicious-payloads/
author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
date: 2025-04-21
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1059.007
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith: '\node.exe'
        - OriginalFileName: 'node.exe'
        - Product: 'Node.js'
    selection_cmd:
        CommandLine|contains: '.js'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of node.exe to execute JavaScript or JSC files on your environment
level: low