How One PowerShell Command Can Give Attackers Complete Control

PowerShell is one of the most powerful tools in the Windows ecosystem. It’s used extensively by administrators and increasingly by adversaries. Threat actors abuse PowerShell to execute commands, evade detection, and maintain persistent access, often without ever dropping a file on disk.

The Empower threat emulates a common post-exploitation scenario: an attacker with administrative access deploying a webshell via PowerShell. SCYTHE users can safely emulate this behavior, observe the impact, and test their detection and response capabilities with a downloadable threat package.

Threat Profile

The Empower threat emulates a threat actor gaining administrative access to a Windows system and installing a PowerShell-based webshell. This webshell allows for remote execution of any PowerShell or command-line instructions via HTTP.

Key characteristics:

• Uses the Windows HTTP subsystem (HTTP.sys) to accept remote HTTP requests.
• Executes both PowerShell and shell commands.
• Implements a 30-second timeout to prevent indefinite command execution.
• Requires administrative privileges to bind to non-localhost interfaces, accurately reflecting real-world attacker constraints.
  
  

Once deployed, the webshell provides remote control of the system—allowing adversaries to run reconnaissance, move laterally, deploy additional tools, and exfiltrate data.

Why The Threat Matters

PowerShell-based attacks are widespread and increasingly difficult to detect. According to Red Canary’s 2024 Threat Detection Report, PowerShell remains the most commonly used technique in real-world incidents. Microsoft’s 2023 Digital Defense Report noted that nearly 35% of initial access investigations involved webshells.

Adversaries favor PowerShell because:

• It’s built into every Windows system
• It’s often trusted by EDR and AV tools
• It enables fileless operation and script obfuscation
  
  

Combined with a webshell, PowerShell gives attackers stealthy, remote control that blends in with legitimate administrative activity. This makes these threats both dangerous and persistent, especially in Microsoft-heavy enterprise environments.

The Importance of Threat Emulation

Defensive tools and policies are only as good as their performance in real-world conditions. Threat emulation is the process of safely mimicking adversary behavior to test those defenses.

Emulating a threat like Empower allows security teams to:

• Validate whether existing detections actually fire
• Test incident response processes end to end
• Identify blind spots in EDR, SIEM, and logging tools
• Train analysts on how these attacks look in telemetry
  
  

This turns theoretical readiness into practical confidence—and helps organizations understand the real impact of a breach scenario before one happens.

What SCYTHE Users Get

SCYTHE clients receive access to a downloadable Empower threat package, which includes:

• A working PowerShell-based webshell
• A remote controller to manage commands and execution
• The ability to extend and modify the threat as needed
• MITRE ATT&CK mappings to accelerate detection tuning
  
  

Whether you’re on a red, blue, or purple team, Empower gives you a realistic, controlled way to emulate adversary activity using native tools like PowerShell.

PowerShell and webshells are key tools in the modern adversary’s arsenal. SCYTHE’s Empower threat package gives you the ability to emulate these techniques safely and proactively before an attacker uses them against you.

If your security strategy relies on assumptions, it’s time to put them to the test. Start emulating Empower today.

Whether you’re on a red, blue, or purple team, Empower gives you a realistic, controlled way to simulate adversary activity using native tools like PowerShell.

PowerShell and webshells are key tools in the modern adversary’s arsenal. SCYTHE’s Empower threat package gives you the ability to emulate these techniques safely and proactively before an attacker uses them against you.

If your security strategy relies on assumptions, it’s time to put them to the test. Start emulating Empower today.