conhost.exe
Author: Microsoft
Source: Wild
Summary
conhost.exe provides a text-based user interface for programs that require a text console. It uses a screen buffer and an input buffer. Cmd.exe and powershell.exe are examples of programs that use conhost.exe to provide a console for the user.
EchoTrail Prevalence Score (EPS)
96.71
Rank Analysis
Host Prevalence
95.3%
Execution Rank
1st
Behavioral Analysis
Top Paths
C:\Windows\System32
99.99 %
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Top Network Ports
443
96.09 %
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Ancestry Analysis
Top GrandParents
Top Parents
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Top Children
Security Analysis
Intel
It is normal to see conhost.exe being launched at nearly the same time as a command line interface tool or interpreter, such as CMD and PowerShell, is launched. The conhost process acts somewhat as a buffer for command line commands, much like bash history on a Unix/Linux system. However, in order to view command line history of a process, one must dump and inspect the memory space of the corresponding conhost.exe process. Given the nature of conhost.exe, it could be a useful analytic to examine which processes launch conhost.exe and inspecting which of those are not expected command line interpreters. This could behaviorally reveal malicious shells being used by attackers.