Command and Scripting Interpreter, Technique T1059 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Command and Scripting Interpreter, Technique T1059 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®
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Techniques
Enterprise
Command and Scripting Interpreter
Command and Scripting Interpreter
Sub-techniques (12)
ID
Name
T1059.001
PowerShell
T1059.002
AppleScript
T1059.003
Windows Command Shell
T1059.004
Unix Shell
T1059.005
Visual Basic
T1059.006
Python
T1059.007
JavaScript
T1059.008
Network Device CLI
T1059.009
Cloud API
T1059.010
AutoHotKey & AutoIT
T1059.011
Lua
T1059.012
Hypervisor CLI
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries. These interfaces and languages provide ways of interacting with computer systems and are a common feature across many different platforms. Most systems come with some built-in command-line interface and scripting capabilities, for example, macOS and Linux distributions include some flavor of
Unix Shell
while Windows installations include the
Windows Command Shell
and
PowerShell
There are also cross-platform interpreters such as
Python
, as well as those commonly associated with client applications such as
JavaScript
and
Visual Basic
Adversaries may abuse these technologies in various ways as a means of executing arbitrary commands. Commands and scripts can be embedded in
Initial Access
payloads delivered to victims as lure documents or as secondary payloads downloaded from an existing C2. Adversaries may also execute commands through interactive terminals/shells, as well as utilize various
Remote Services
in order to achieve remote Execution.
[1]
[2]
[3]
ID:
T1059
Sub-techniques:
T1059.001
T1059.002
T1059.003
T1059.004
T1059.005
T1059.006
T1059.007
T1059.008
T1059.009
T1059.010
T1059.011
T1059.012
Tactic:
Execution
Platforms:
ESXi, IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, Network Devices, Office Suite, Windows, macOS
Version:
2.6
Created:
31 May 2017
Last Modified:
15 April 2025
Version Permalink
Live Version
Procedure Examples
ID
Name
Description
G0073
APT19
APT19
downloaded and launched code within a SCT file.
[4]
G0050
APT32
APT32
has used COM scriptlets to download Cobalt Strike beacons.
[5]
G0067
APT37
APT37
has used Ruby scripts to execute payloads.
[6]
G0087
APT39
APT39
has utilized custom scripts to perform internal reconnaissance.
[7]
[8]
C0046
ArcaneDoor
ArcaneDoor
included the adversary executing command line interface (CLI) commands.
[9]
S0234
Bandook
Bandook
can support commands to execute Java-based payloads.
[10]
S0486
Bonadan
Bonadan
can create bind and reverse shells on the infected system.
[11]
S0023
CHOPSTICK
CHOPSTICK
is capable of performing remote command execution.
[12]
[13]
C0029
Cutting Edge
During
Cutting Edge
, threat actors used Perl scripts to enable the deployment of the THINSPOOL shell script dropper and for enumerating host data.
[14]
[15]
S0334
DarkComet
DarkComet
can execute various types of scripts on the victim’s machine.
[16]
S0695
Donut
Donut
can generate shellcode outputs that execute via Ruby.
[17]
G0035
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
has used the command line for execution.
[18]
S0363
Empire
Empire
uses a command-line interface to interact with systems.
[19]
G0053
FIN5
FIN5
scans processes on all victim systems in the environment and uses automated scripts to pull back the results.
[20]
G0037
FIN6
FIN6
has used scripting to iterate through a list of compromised PoS systems, copy data to a log file, and remove the original data files.
[21]
[22]
G0046
FIN7
FIN7
used SQL scripts to help perform tasks on the victim's machine.
[23]
[24]
[23]
S0618
FIVEHANDS
FIVEHANDS
can receive a command line argument to limit file encryption to specified directories.
[25]
[26]
C0053
FLORAHOX Activity
FLORAHOX Activity
has executed PHP and Shell scripts to identify and infect subsequent routers for the ORB network.
[27]
G0117
Fox Kitten
Fox Kitten
has used a Perl reverse shell to communicate with C2.
[28]
S0460
Get2
Get2
has the ability to run executables with command-line arguments.
[29]
S0032
gh0st RAT
gh0st RAT
is able to open a remote shell to execute commands.
[30]
[31]
S0434
Imminent Monitor
Imminent Monitor
has a CommandPromptPacket and ScriptPacket module(s) for creating a remote shell and executing scripts.
[32]
G0004
Ke3chang
Malware used by
Ke3chang
can run commands on the command-line interface.
[33]
[34]
S0487
Kessel
Kessel
can create a reverse shell between the infected host and a specified system.
[11]
S0167
Matryoshka
Matryoshka
is capable of providing Meterpreter shell access.
[35]
S1192
NICECURL
NICECURL
has provided an arbitrary command execution interface.
[36]
G0049
OilRig
OilRig
has used various types of scripting for execution.
[37]
[38]
[39]
[40]
[41]
C0005
Operation Spalax
For
Operation Spalax
, the threat actors used Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) scripts to install malware.
[42]
S0598
P.A.S. Webshell
P.A.S. Webshell
has the ability to create reverse shells with Perl scripts.
[43]
S1130
Raspberry Robin
Raspberry Robin
variants can be delivered via highly obfuscated Windows Script Files (WSF) for initial execution.
[44]
G1031
Saint Bear
Saint Bear
has used the Windows Script Host (wscript) to execute intermediate files written to victim machines.
[45]
S1110
SLIGHTPULSE
SLIGHTPULSE
contains functionality to execute arbitrary commands passed to it.
[46]
S0374
SpeakUp
SpeakUp
uses Perl scripts.
[47]
G0038
Stealth Falcon
Stealth Falcon
malware uses WMI to script data collection and command execution on the victim.
[48]
S1154
VersaMem
VersaMem
was delivered as a Java Archive (JAR) that runs by attaching itself to the Apache Tomcat Java servlet and web server.
[49]
G0107
Whitefly
Whitefly
has used a simple remote shell tool that will call back to the C2 server and wait for commands.
[50]
G0124
Windigo
Windigo
has used a Perl script for information gathering.
[11]
S0219
WINERACK
WINERACK
can create a reverse shell that utilizes statically-linked Wine cmd.exe code to emulate Windows command prompt commands.
[51]
G1035
Winter Vivern
Winter Vivern
used XLM 4.0 macros for initial code execution for malicious document files.
[52]
S1151
ZeroCleare
ZeroCleare
can receive command line arguments from an operator to corrupt the file system using the
RawDisk
driver.
[53]
S0330
Zeus Panda
Zeus Panda
can launch remote scripts on the victim’s machine.
[54]
Mitigations
ID
Mitigation
Description
M1049
Antivirus/Antimalware
Anti-virus can be used to automatically quarantine suspicious files.
M1047
Audit
Inventory systems for unauthorized command and scripting interpreter installations.
M1040
Behavior Prevention on Endpoint
On Windows 10, enable Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules to prevent
Visual Basic
and
JavaScript
scripts from executing potentially malicious downloaded content
[55]
M1045
Code Signing
Where possible, only permit execution of signed scripts.
M1042
Disable or Remove Feature or Program
Disable or remove any unnecessary or unused shells or interpreters.
M1038
Execution Prevention
Use application control where appropriate. For example, PowerShell Constrained Language mode can be used to restrict access to sensitive or otherwise dangerous language elements such as those used to execute arbitrary Windows APIs or files (e.g.,
Add-Type
).
[56]
M1033
Limit Software Installation
Prevent user installation of unrequired command and scripting interpreters.
M1026
Privileged Account Management
When PowerShell is necessary, consider restricting PowerShell execution policy to administrators. Be aware that there are methods of bypassing the PowerShell execution policy, depending on environment configuration.
[57]
PowerShell JEA (Just Enough Administration) may also be used to sandbox administration and limit what commands admins/users can execute through remote PowerShell sessions.
[58]
M1021
Restrict Web-Based Content
Script blocking extensions can help prevent the execution of scripts and HTA files that may commonly be used during the exploitation process. For malicious code served up through ads, adblockers can help prevent that code from executing in the first place.
Detection
ID
Data Source
Data Component
Detects
DS0017
Command
Command Execution
Monitor command-line arguments for script execution and subsequent behavior. Actions may be related to network and system information Discovery, Collection, or other scriptable post-compromise behaviors and could be used as indicators of detection leading back to the source script. Scripts are likely to perform actions with various effects on a system that may generate events, depending on the types of monitoring used.
Analytic 1 - Suspicious script execution
(sourcetype=WinEventLog:Security OR OR sourcetype=sysmon OR sourcetype=linux_secure OR sourcetype=linux_audit OR sourcetype=mac_os_log OR sourcetype=azure:audit OR sourcetype=o365:audit)| search Image IN ("bash", "sh", "cmd", "powershell", "python", "java", "perl", "ruby", "node", "osascript", "wmic")| eval suspicious_cmds=if(like(command_line, "%Invoke-Obfuscation%") OR like(command_line, "%-EncodedCommand%") OR like(command_line, "%IEX%") OR like(command_line, "%wget%") OR like(command_line, "%curl%"), "Yes", "No")
DS0011
Module
Module Load
Monitor for events associated with scripting execution, such as the loading of modules associated with scripting languages (ex: JScript.dll or vbscript.dll).
Analytic 1 - Look for unusual module loads associated with scripting languages.
sourcetype=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational| search EventCode=7 ImageLoaded IN ("C:\Windows\System32\JScript.dll", "C:\Windows\System32\vbscript.dll", "System.Management.Automation.dll")
DS0009
Process
Process Creation
Monitor log files for process execution through command-line and scripting activities. This information can be useful in gaining additional insight to adversaries' actions through how they use native processes or custom tools. Also monitor for loading of modules associated with specific languages.
Analytic 1 - Look for unusual command and scripting process creation.
(sourcetype=WinEventLog:Security OR sourcetype=sysmon OR sourcetype=linux_secure OR sourcetype=linux_audit OR sourcetype=mac_os_log OR sourcetype=azure:audit OR sourcetype=o365:audit)(EventCode=4688 OR EventID=1 OR _raw=
sh
OR _raw=
python
OR _raw=
powershell
OR _raw=
cmd
OR _raw=
script
OR _raw=
wscript
OR _raw=
bash
Process Metadata
Monitor contextual data about a running process, which may include information such as environment variables, image name, user/owner, or other information that may reveal abuse of system features. For example, consider monitoring for Windows Event ID (EID) 400, which shows the version of PowerShell executing in the
EngineVersion
field (which may also be relevant to detecting a potential
Downgrade Attack
) as well as if PowerShell is running locally or remotely in the
HostName
field. Furthermore, EID 400 may indicate the start time and EID 403 indicates the end time of a PowerShell session.
[59]
DS0012
Script
Script Execution
Monitor for any attempts to enable scripts running on a system that would be considered suspicious. If scripts are not commonly used on a system, but enabled, scripts running out of cycle from patching or other administrator functions are suspicious. Scripts should be captured from the file system when possible to determine their actions and intent.
Analytic 1 - Look for attempts to enable scripts on the system.
index=windows (EventCode=1 OR EventCode=4688 OR EventCode=4103 OR EventCode=4104) (CommandLine="
script
")| search script_name IN ("
.ps1", "
.sh", "
.py", "
.rb", "
.js", "
.vbs")| eval suspicious_script=if(like(script_name, "%.sh") AND hour(_time) NOT BETWEEN 8 AND 18, "Yes", "No")| where suspicious_script="Yes"
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