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ATT&CK techniqueExecution

T1204.002 Malicious File

ExecutionEnterpriseSub-technique

As of 2026-10-05, T1204.002 (Malicious File) appears in 445 tracked threats, first reported 2026-01-01 and most recently 2026-10-02, with linked actors including APT38, Sapphire Sleet, Stardust Chollima; it most often appears alongside T1071.001 (Web Protocols).

Tracked threats
44559 critical, 335 high, 49 medium, 2 low
First seen
2026-01-01
Last seen
2026-10-02
Threat actors
113In the threats using it
Detection rules
1351Blue tier and above

Data as of:

Activity timeline

T1204.002 first appeared in tracked threats on and was most recently reported on . The busiest month was 2026-07 with 111 reports, and 445 of the 445 threats were reported in the twelve months to 2026-10.

How adversaries use it

T1204.002 Malicious File is catalogued by MITRE ATT&CK under the Execution tactic in the Enterprise matrix, as a sub-technique of T1204 User Execution. Threadlinqs maps 445 of 2623 tracked threats (17%) to it; by severity that is 59 critical, 335 high, 49 medium, 2 low.

Threats that use T1204.002 most often also use T1071.001 Web Protocols (318 threats), T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information (272 threats), T1082 System Information Discovery (252 threats), T1036.005 Match Legitimate Resource Name or Location (248 threats), T1005 Data from Local System (234 threats). These are the techniques an intrusion set tends to chain with it, so they are the natural next places to look when it is observed.

113 tracked threat actors appear in the threats that use T1204.002; the most frequent are APT38 (16), Sapphire Sleet (13), Stardust Chollima (13), APT28 (11), Lazarus Group (9).

Mitigations

MITRE ATT&CK lists 3 mitigations for T1204.002.

Data sources

Telemetry that can reveal T1204.002, per MITRE ATT&CK.

  • File — File Creation
  • Process — Process Creation

Threat actors using it

Tracked threats

The 30 most recent of 445 tracked threats that use T1204.002.

Detection coverage

Threadlinqs maintains 1351 detection rules mapped to T1204.002 (SPL 535, KQL 411, Sigma 405). Rule content is available to Blue tier accounts and above; this page shows counts only.

1351 detection rules (SPL/KQL/Sigma) · Blue and above. Compare plans

Parent technique

T1204 User Execution — 571 tracked threats at the technique level.