> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/microsoft-office-process-spawning-a-suspicious-one-liner.md).

# Microsoft Office Process Spawning a Suspicious One-Liner

### Synopsis

| Field                | Value                                                                  |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Activation Period    | 14 Days                                                                |
| Training Period      | 30 Days                                                                |
| Test Period          | N/A (single event)                                                     |
| Deduplication Period | 1 Day                                                                  |
| Required Data        | XDR Agent                                                              |
| ATT\&CK Tactic       | Execution (TA0002), Initial Access (TA0001)                            |
| ATT\&CK Technique    | User Execution (T1204), Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment (T1566.001) |
| Severity             | Low                                                                    |

### Description

A Microsoft Office process spawned a commonly abused process with a full command (not a script), this is a typically malicious behavior.

### Attacker's Goals

An attacker is trying to gain code execution on the host.

### Investigative actions

Check whether the command line executed is benign or normal for the host and/or user performing it. For example, employees working in finance may have legitimate use cases for complex Excel commands.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/microsoft-office-process-spawning-a-suspicious-one-liner.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.