Java Dropped and Executed With DNS Lookup

Last updated 3 days ago on 2026-06-21
Created 3 days ago on 2026-06-21

About

Identifies a recently dropped or modified javaw.exe process started from a user-writable path to run a JAR or Java classpath application, followed by a DNS lookup. Adversaries may drop Java payloads into user directories and execute them immediately to establish command and control while evading application control focused on native Windows binaries.
Tags
Domain: EndpointOS: WindowsUse Case: Threat DetectionTactic: ExecutionTactic: Command and ControlData Source: Elastic DefendLanguage: eql
Severity
medium
Risk Score
47
MITRE ATT&CK™

Execution (TA0002)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Command and Control (TA0011)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

License
Elastic License v2(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Definition

Rule Type
Event Correlation Rule
Integration Pack
Prebuilt Security Detection Rules
Index Patterns
logs-endpoint.events.process-*logs-endpoint.events.network-*
Related Integrations

endpoint(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Query
text code block:
sequence by process.entity_id with maxspan=1m [process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.action == "start" and (process.Ext.relative_file_creation_time <= 500 or process.Ext.relative_file_name_modify_time <= 500) and (process.name : "javaw.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "javaw.exe") and process.executable : ("?:\\Users\\*", "?:\\ProgramData\\*", "?:\\Windows\\Temp\\*") and user.id != "S-1-5-18" and ( (process.args_count == 3 and process.args : "-jar") or (process.args_count == 4 and process.args : ("-cp", "-classpath") and process.command_line : " *.* ") )] [network where host.os.type == "windows" and event.action: "lookup_requested"]

Install detection rules in Elastic Security

Detect Java Dropped and Executed With DNS Lookup in the Elastic Security detection engine by installing this rule into your Elastic Stack.

To setup this rule, check out the installation guide for Prebuilt Security Detection Rules(external, opens in a new tab or window).