Threat Hunting Strategies for PsExec Misuse
/ 1 min read
🗡️ PsExec: A Double-Edged Sword in Cybersecurity. PsExec, a command-line utility from Microsoft’s Sysinternals suite, is widely used by administrators for remote management but has also become a favored tool among cybercriminals. Its ability to execute programs and create accounts on remote machines makes it less likely to trigger security alerts, a tactic known as “living off the land.” At least 30 threat groups, including state-sponsored and financially motivated actors, have exploited PsExec for malicious purposes. This article outlines methods for threat hunting to identify potential misuse of PsExec and similar tools, emphasizing the importance of monitoring event logs and using advanced query logic to detect suspicious activity. Resources for enhancing threat hunting capabilities are also provided.
