Adversary Tactics:PowerShell Class

Automation is necessary to be efficient and successful in security for both offensive and defensive teams. Furthermore, with the rapid pace of migration to cloud infrastructure, the need to interact with infrastructure through automation is more important than ever. PowerShell is the language and shell that drives automation across the Windows and Azure ecosystem. Sitting on top of the massive .NET class library, there is very little that can not be done in PowerShell. Today, PowerShell is relied upon by red teams, threat hunters, incident responders, penetration testers, criminals, and nation-state adversaries alike. Before robust detection capabilities were widely deployed, PowerShell was also the tool of choice for attackers to evade detection. Between the modern security features offered and the fact that most AV/EDR solutions have a PowerShell prevention/detection component, it is imperative that both red teamers and blue teamers understand the defensive landscape when building and using tools within the language.

This class is designed to teach students already comfortable with the basics of PowerShell to take full advantage of the unique benefits it offers security professionals. Since the introduction of version 5, the security optics and preventative controls of PowerShell are unparalleled. Students will learn how to configure, audit, monitor, and bypass every preventative and detective control that PowerShell has to offer. By the end of the class, students will walk away with a profound appreciation of PowerShell's capabilities, strong security enforcement and optics, as well as the extent of its unique, post-exploitation attack surface. Additionally, students will become even more comfortable using PowerShell and identifying when it’s the right tool for the job and when it’s not.

Defenders must know the reality of how attackers subvert security controls, and mature offensive security testers must know the defensive landscape in which they must tread carefully. This class will serve as a deep dive into PowerShell security capabilities. Every topic presented in class will follow the theme of "for every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction" whereby mitigations, detections, and bypasses will be discussed for nearly every topic covered.

Topics covered include:

• OPSEC-aware PowerShell tradecraft principals
• PowerShell Remoting
• Execution of PowerShell in non-traditional host processes
• Configuration, auditing, analysis, and evasion of preventative and detective security controls including PSv5 logging, constrained language mode, and AMSI
• Windows Management Instrumentation and Active Directory deep dives
• Low-level, Win32 interop and .NET internals for host artifact evasion and stealth
• Code injection discovery, exploitation, and prevention