The rule identifies suspicious child processes spawned by the 'mshta.exe' process, which is commonly associated with the execution of HTML Application (HTA) files. These HTA files can often be leveraged for malicious purposes, including executing scripts or commands that compromise system integrity. By monitoring for specific child processes that typically indicate misuse or malicious intent, such as 'cmd.exe', 'powershell.exe', and other scripting environments, this detection rule aims to preemptively identify potential attacks utilizing HTA exploits. The rule employs a parent-child process relationship check where any process that notably terminates with 'mshta.exe' and spawns a known malicious child process will trigger an alert, potentially indicating a security threat. The rule has a high severity level due to the implications of such attacks and the likelihood of malicious activity being performed through these processes. The rule also notes potential false positives, including legitimate software installations that may unintentionally trigger alerts.