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AAct sample invokes WMIC to request Defender exclusions for itself and helper paths

A process tree shows an AAct-associated executable launching a command to request a Defender exclusion for its own path. Other records name a directory and several executable or DLL paths, broadening the scope of the request, but do not show that Defender accepted it.

Oct 13, 2026, 15:19 (UTC+9)Last seenOct 13, 2026Severity100ByCTX TeamActorGamaredon GroupCTIGIOC2MITRE17

An executable running as program.exe launched a command shell, which in turn launched Windows’ WMIC utility with an unusual request: add the executable’s own path to Microsoft Defender’s exclusions. The process tree makes the question concrete. Was this simply an activation utility trying to avoid detection, or evidence of a broader attempt to protect other components from inspection?

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Source: CTX Threat Intelligence