Adversaries may abuse utilities that allow for command execution to bypass security restrictions that limit the use of command-line interpreters. Various Windows utilities may be used to execute commands, possibly without invoking cmd. For example, Forfiles, the Program Compatibility Assistant (pcalua.exe), components of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Scriptrunner.exe, as well as other utilities may invoke the execution of programs and commands from a Command and Scripting Interpreter, Run window, or via scripts.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5]} Adversaries may also abuse the ssh.exe binary to execute malicious commands via the ProxyCommand and LocalCommand options, which can be invoked via the -o flag or by modifying the SSH config file.^[6]

Adversaries may abuse these features for Stealth, specifically to perform arbitrary execution while subverting detections and/or mitigation controls (such as Group Policy) that limit/prevent the usage of cmd or file extensions more commonly associated with malicious payloads.

References

1. vector_sec. (2017, August 11). Defenders watching launches of cmd? What about forfiles?. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
2. Evi1cg. (2017, November 26). block cmd.exe ? try this :. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
3. Secure Team - Information Assurance. (2023, January 8). Windows Error Reporting Tool Abused to Load Malware. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
4. SS64. (n.d.). ScriptRunner.exe. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
5. Bill Toulas. (2023, January 4). Hackers abuse Windows error reporting tool to deploy malware. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
6. Cyble. (2024, December 5). Threat Actor Targets the Manufacturing industry with Lumma Stealer and Amadey Bot. Retrieved February 4, 2025.

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