T1202.md

T1202 - Indirect Command Execution

Description from ATT&CK

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), as well as other utilities may invoke the execution of programs and commands from a Command-Line Interface, Run window, or via scripts. (Citation: VectorSec ForFiles Aug 2017) (Citation: Evi1cg Forfiles Nov 2017)

Adversaries may abuse these utilities for Defense Evasion, specifically to perform arbitrary execution while subverting detections and/or mitigation controls (such as Group Policy) that limit/prevent the usage of cmd.

Detection: Monitor and analyze logs from host-based detection mechanisms, such as Sysmon, for events such as process creations that include or are resulting from parameters associated with invoking programs/commands and/or spawning child processes. (Citation: RSA Forfiles Aug 2017)

Platforms: Windows

Data Sources: Process Monitoring, Process command-line parameters, Windows event logs

Defense Bypassed: Application whitelisting, Process whitelisting, Whitelisting by file name or path

Permissions Required: User

Contributors: Matthew Demaske, Adaptforward

Atomic Tests

• Atomic Test #1 - Indirect Command Execution - pcalua.exe

• Atomic Test #2 - Indirect Command Execution - forfiles.exe

Atomic Test #1 - Indirect Command Execution - pcalua.exe

The Program Compatibility Assistant (pcalua.exe) may invoke the execution of programs and commands from a Command-Line Interface.

Reference

Supported Platforms: Windows

Inputs

Name	Description	Type	Default Value
process	Process to execute	string	calc.exe
payload_path	Path to payload	path	c:\temp\payload.dll
payload_cpl_path	Path to payload	path	C:\Windows\system32\javacpl.cpl -c Java

Run it with command_prompt!

pcalua.exe -a ${process}
pcalua.exe -a ${payload_path}
pcalua.exe -a ${payload_cpl_path}

Atomic Test #2 - Indirect Command Execution - forfiles.exe

forfiles.exe may invoke the execution of programs and commands from a Command-Line Interface.

Reference

"This is basically saying for each occurrence of notepad.exe in c:\windows\system32 run calc.exe"

Supported Platforms: Windows

Inputs

Name	Description	Type	Default Value
process	Process to execute	string	calc.exe

Run it with command_prompt!

forfiles /p c:\windows\system32 /m notepad.exe /c ${process}
forfiles /p c:\windows\system32 /m notepad.exe /c "c:\folder\normal.dll:evil.exe"