It indicates that the domain or web page automatically reloads itself after a certain interval without user interaction. This behavior can generate repeated background connections, maintain user sessions artificially, or trigger redirections after multiple refresh cycles.
Three questions every analyst asks before acting on this signal.
It indicates that the domain or web page automatically reloads itself after a certain interval without user interaction. This behavior can generate repeated background connections, maintain user sessions artificially, or trigger redirections after multiple refresh cycles.
Attackers often use auto-refresh mechanisms to delay malicious activity, execute staged payloads, or redirect users to different domains after a waiting period. This makes detection harder, as the initial page load may appear benign while later refreshes deliver harmful content or scripts.
Yes. News, stock, or dashboard sites may use timed refreshes to update content. However, in SOC and CTI analysis, persistent auto-refresh behavior—especially followed by redirects or script injections—should be treated as a potential indicator of compromise (IoC).
A realistic shape of the entry the engine appends to the risk_signals array when this signal fires. Evidence keys are subgroup-default; per-signal overrides documented in the API reference.
{
"slug": "auto_page_refresh",
"name": "Suspicious Auto Page Refresh Activity",
"group": "http_crawling_history",
"subgroup": "web_behavior_structure",
"direction": "malicious",
"evidence": {
"url_shortener_chain": false,
"auto_refresh_seconds": null,
"direct_ip_link": false,
"browser_interaction_required": true
}
}7 other signals share the same subgroup. They detect related behaviors and often co-fire on the same IOC.
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