Individual skill
hunting-for-startup-folder-persistence
Detects T1547.001 startup folder persistence by monitoring Windows startup directories for suspicious file creation, cross-referencing Autoruns entries, and running a Python watchdog script for real-time filesystem monitoring. Use when hunting for malware or implants that survive reboot via startup-folder placement, or when validating autoruns/EDR findings against known-good startup baselines.
skills/hunting-for-startup-folder-persistence/SKILL.md
Source commit 54a798831d2266a3ca61ce68a7acb80b81160d57
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- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- Yes
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- Yes
- Observed behavior
- Local scripts
- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.
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Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 35,846
- Repository last updated
- Aug 31, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- ai-agents Repository topic
- claude-code Repository topic
- cybersecurity Repository topic
- incident-response Repository topic
- mitre-attack Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- red-team Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- cloud-security Repository topic
- malware-analysis Repository topic
- threat-hunting Declared skill tag
- t1547.001 Declared skill tag
- startup-folder Declared skill tag
- persistence Declared skill tag
- autoruns Declared skill tag
- watchdog Declared skill tag
- filesystem-monitoring Declared skill tag
- security Derived category
Files and excerpt
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Browse files
LICENSEasset · 11,255 bytesSKILL.mdcore · 2,706 bytesreferences/api-reference.mddoc · 2,887 bytesscripts/agent.pyruns · 10,427 bytes
Read excerpt
# Hunting for Startup Folder Persistence
## Overview
Attackers use Windows startup folders for persistence (MITRE ATT&CK T1547.001 — Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder). Files placed in `%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup` or `C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup` execute automatically at user logon. This skill scans startup directories for suspicious files, monitors for real-time changes using Python watchdog, and analyzes file metadata to detect persistence implants.
## When to Use
- When investigating security incidents that require hunting for startup folder persistence
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
