- Add validated mitre_attack frontmatter to all 754 skills (286 distinct
techniques), verified against MITRE ATT&CK v19.1 via the official
mitreattack-python library: 0 revoked, deprecated, or invalid IDs
- Curate precise per-skill technique IDs for forensics, malware-analysis,
threat-intel, and red-team skills (e.g. DCSync -> T1003.006,
Kerberoasting -> T1558.003, Pass-the-Ticket -> T1550.003)
- Reconcile v19.1 tactic restructuring: Defense Evasion split into
Stealth (TA0005) and Defense Impairment (TA0112); revoked T1562.*
family and T1070.001/.002 remapped to active equivalents (T1685.*)
- Normalize word-split tags across 35 skills (remove filename-derived
stopword tags, add semantic cybersecurity tags)
- Add api-reference.md for 3 skills that were missing it
- Update README ATT&CK section with accurate v19.1 tactic distribution
Detect PowerShell Empire framework artifacts in Windows event logs by identifying Base64 encoded launcher patterns, default user agents, staging URL structures, stager IOCs, and known Empire module signatures in Script Block Logging events.
cybersecurity
threat-hunting
PowerShell-Empire
threat-hunting
Script-Block-Logging
base64
stager
C2
MITRE-ATT&CK
T1059.001
forensics
1.0
mahipal
Apache-2.0
Executable Denylisting
Execution Isolation
File Metadata Consistency Validation
Content Format Conversion
File Content Analysis
GOVERN-1.1
MEASURE-2.7
MANAGE-3.1
DE.CM-01
DE.AE-02
DE.AE-07
ID.RA-05
T1059.001
T1071.001
T1003.001
T1558.003
T1027.010
Analyzing PowerShell Empire Artifacts
Overview
PowerShell Empire is a post-exploitation framework consisting of listeners, stagers, and agents. Its artifacts leave detectable traces in Windows event logs, particularly PowerShell Script Block Logging (Event ID 4104) and Module Logging (Event ID 4103). This skill analyzes event logs for Empire's default launcher string (powershell -noP -sta -w 1 -enc), Base64 encoded payloads containing System.Net.WebClient and FromBase64String, known module invocations (Invoke-Mimikatz, Invoke-Kerberoast, Invoke-TokenManipulation), and staging URL patterns.
When to Use
When investigating security incidents that require analyzing powershell empire artifacts
When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
Prerequisites
Python 3.9+ with access to Windows Event Log or exported EVTX files
PowerShell Script Block Logging (Event ID 4104) enabled via Group Policy
Module Logging (Event ID 4103) enabled for comprehensive coverage
Key Detection Patterns
Default launcher — powershell -noP -sta -w 1 -enc followed by Base64 blob
mukul975
cb8d79e068