schtasks.exe
Sources: 300M+ executions observed in the wild.
Summary
Windows Task Scheduler command-line tool (schtasks.exe) creates, deletes, queries, changes, runs, and ends scheduled tasks on a local or remote system. It is the command-line interface to the Windows Task Scheduler service.
schtasks.exe is the 80th most commonly executed Windows program in EchoTrail's dataset, observed 331,917 times across enterprise environments. It typically runs from C:\Windows\System32 and it is most often launched by OfficeClickToRun.exe.
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Behavior
Top Paths
- C:\Windows\System3290.66%
- C:\Windows\SysWOW649.34%
- C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft-windows-sctasks_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.18001_none_7b5122de890f7134<0.01%
Top Hashes (SHA256)
- 3a0943826ebc7f6d76908e5bc6a14067265460b0742f89ae0f74b9380ef9a36121.95%
- e9abe33f61fa98c99601fe28dfae73b9489b49c8bfa3d49b21253c2a5012eb3013%
- d3222e48a036c6c730bb4e67b4c02e83c87860701975f408e5bf708b4b9cdbf412.02%
- fb024503622e00466f3c18fc69737f2c217fa39ef075718b25619b93ce3a1c627.61%
- 356280cca63ca5e887fdbe5cb4105a53341fbac9219efc51621df9ba8ee9838b6.84%
- 013c013e0efd13c9380fad58418b7aca8356e591a5cceffdb910f7d8b0ad28ef5.05%
- d6ba2cd73799477c051d9d864c47fcf5108064cde07d3565871afa10fc5480864.93%
- 8be433049ccc271f04a8e625e9fb9bd3bcf15b4edeb63497c00bd9ce1cd5c50e4.54%
- d94194bab0128bd8e26c9abb21dbabb60c4da9a5c682f4ec1b2a7ea6779e1ce54.35%
- 53e4b87ee4a392a608f3e25ab9f43bd8796f9e558fe640e84d8edca687de4c7b2.73%
Process Ancestry
Top Grandparents
- services.exe66.95%
- OfficeClickToRun.exe13.03%
- svchost.exe2.58%
- msiexec.exe0.18%
- susetsched.exe0.15%
- koala.exe0.15%
- setup.exe0.07%
- dllhost.exe0.02%
Top Parents
- OfficeClickToRun.exe57.59%
- updateservice.exe11.08%
- Integrator.exe10.99%
- cmd.exe8.12%
- wsqmcons.exe5.34%
- officesvcmgr.exe2.85%
- msiexec.exe0.58%
Top Children
- conhost.exe100%
- WerFault.exe<0.01%
Security Analysis
What does schtasks.exe normally do?
Located in C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\SysWOW64. Commonly launched by OfficeClickToRun.exe (Office updates), update services, management agents (Integrator.exe), and cmd.exe. Spawns conhost.exe.
When is schtasks.exe suspicious?
Creating tasks (schtasks /create) that run shells (cmd.exe, powershell.exe), scripts, or executables from temp/user profile directories. Creating tasks with /sc onlogon, /sc onstart, or /sc onidle for persistence. Tasks targeting remote systems (/s <hostname>). Tasks running as SYSTEM (/ru SYSTEM). Deleting tasks (/delete) that correspond to security monitoring.
How do attackers abuse schtasks.exe?
Persistence: attackers create scheduled tasks to re-execute payloads at logon, boot, or on a recurring schedule. This is one of the most common persistence mechanisms. Lateral movement: schtasks /create /s <remote_host> creates tasks on remote systems for remote code execution. Privilege escalation: tasks configured to run as SYSTEM execute with the highest privileges. Evasion: tasks with innocuous names that blend in with legitimate system tasks.
Detection guidance
High-confidence: schtasks /create with /tr pointing to temp directories, user Downloads, or scripts with random names. schtasks /create /s <remote_host> (remote task creation). schtasks /create running cmd.exe or powershell.exe with encoded/obfuscated arguments. Medium-confidence: schtasks /create with /ru SYSTEM. Monitor Task Scheduler event logs (Event IDs 106 for task registration, 200/201 for task execution) in Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler/Operational.
False positive notes
Office updates (OfficeClickToRun.exe) are the largest source of schtasks usage in this dataset. Software updaters frequently create and modify scheduled tasks. Management agents create tasks for maintenance. Focus on the task action (/tr argument) and the parent process context.
Related Processes
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