analyzing-powershell-empire-artifacts skill

by mukul975·mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills·34k stars·Apache-2.0

Detect PowerShell Empire post-exploitation framework artifacts in Windows Script Block Logging (Event ID 4104) and Module Logging (Event ID 4103), including the default launcher string, Base64-encoded WebClient/FromBase64String payloads, known module invocations (Invoke-Mimikatz, Invoke-Kerberoast), and staging URL patterns. Use when hunting for or confirming Empire C2 activity in Windows event logs.

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Install the analyzing-powershell-empire-artifacts skill

A skill is a folder. Copy it into your agent's skills folder and the agent loads it when the task matches its description.

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills.git /tmp/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills/skills/analyzing-powershell-empire-artifacts ~/.claude/skills/analyzing-powershell-empire-artifacts

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In the Claude apps, zip the folder and upload it from the Skills settings. The folder on GitHub

The instructions your agent would load

SKILL.md as published, without the frontmatter. Read it on GitHub

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
Stager indicators — System.Net.WebClient, DownloadData, DownloadString, FromBase64String
Module signatures — Invoke-Mimikatz, Invoke-Kerberoast, Invoke-TokenManipulation, Invoke-PSInject, Invoke-DCOM
User agent strings — default Empire user agents in HTTP listener configuration
Staging URLs — /login/process.php, /admin/get.php and similar default URI patterns

Output

JSON report with matched IOCs, decoded Base64 payloads, timeline of suspicious events, MITRE ATT&CK technique mappings, and severity scores.

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