T1546.013

Event Triggered Execution: PowerShell Profile

Other sub-techniques of Event Triggered Execution (16)

ID	Name
T1546.001	Change Default File Association
T1546.002	Screensaver
T1546.003	Windows Management Instrumentation Event Subscription
T1546.004	Unix Shell Configuration Modification
T1546.005	Trap
T1546.006	LC_LOAD_DYLIB Addition
T1546.007	Netsh Helper DLL
T1546.008	Accessibility Features
T1546.009	AppCert DLLs
T1546.010	AppInit DLLs
T1546.011	Application Shimming
T1546.012	Image File Execution Options Injection
T1546.013	PowerShell Profile
T1546.014	Emond
T1546.015	Component Object Model Hijacking
T1546.016	Installer Packages

Adversaries may gain persistence and elevate privileges by executing malicious content triggered by PowerShell profiles. A PowerShell profile (profile.ps1) is a script that runs when PowerShell starts and can be used as a logon script to customize user environments.

PowerShell supports several profiles depending on the user or host program. For example, there can be different profiles for PowerShell host programs such as the PowerShell console, PowerShell ISE or Visual Studio Code. An administrator can also configure a profile that applies to all users and host programs on the local computer. ^[1]

Adversaries may modify these profiles to include arbitrary commands, functions, modules, and/or PowerShell drives to gain persistence. Every time a user opens a PowerShell session the modified script will be executed unless the -NoProfile flag is used when it is launched. ^[2]

An adversary may also be able to escalate privileges if a script in a PowerShell profile is loaded and executed by an account with higher privileges, such as a domain administrator. ^[3]

ID: T1546.013

Sub-technique of: T1546

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Tactics: Privilege Escalation, Persistence

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Platforms: Windows

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Permissions Required: Administrator, User

Contributors: Allen DeRyke, ICE; Matthew Green

Version: 1.1

Created: 24 January 2020

Last Modified: 08 February 2022

Version Permalink

Live Version

Procedure Examples

ID	Name	Description
G0010	Turla	Turla has used PowerShell profiles to maintain persistence on an infected machine.^[2]

Mitigations

ID	Mitigation	Description
M1045	Code Signing	Enforce execution of only signed PowerShell scripts. Sign profiles to avoid them from being modified.
M1022	Restrict File and Directory Permissions	Making PowerShell profiles immutable and only changeable by certain administrators will limit the ability for adversaries to easily create user level persistence.
M1054	Software Configuration	Avoid PowerShell profiles if not needed. Use the -No Profile flag with when executing PowerShell scripts remotely to prevent local profiles and scripts from being executed.

Detection

ID	Data Source	Data Component	Detects
DS0017	Command	Command Execution	Monitor abnormal PowerShell commands, unusual loading of PowerShell drives or modules.
DS0022	File	File Creation	Locations where `profile.ps1` can be stored should be monitored for new profiles. ^[4] Example profile locations include:* `$PsHome\Profile.ps1`* `$PsHome\Microsoft.{HostProgram}_profile.ps1`* `$Home\My Documents\PowerShell\Profile.ps1`* `$Home\My Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.{HostProgram}_profile.ps1`
		File Modification	Locations where `profile.ps1` can be stored should be monitored for modifications. ^[4] Example profile locations include:* `$PsHome\Profile.ps1`* `$PsHome\Microsoft.{HostProgram}_profile.ps1`* `$Home\My Documents\PowerShell\Profile.ps1`* `$Home\My Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.{HostProgram}_profile.ps1`
DS0009	Process	Process Creation	Monitor newly executed processes that may gain persistence and elevate privileges by executing malicious content triggered by PowerShell profiles.