Applied Cybernetics Group
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter
- Technique
T1059- Tactics
- Execution
- Research, 90 days
- 7
- KEV CVEs mapped
- 170
- SigmaHQ rules
- 94
- Elastic, Splunk
- 395
- thrunt rules
- 1
- Upstream
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059
MITRE description
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries. These interfaces and languages provide ways of interacting with computer systems and are a common feature across many different platforms. Most systems come with some built-in command-line interface and scripting capabilities, for example, macOS and Linux distributions include some flavor of [Unix Shell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/004) while Windows installations include the [Windows Command Shell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/003) and [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001). There are also cross-platform interpreters such as [Python](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/006), as well as those commonly associated with client applications such as [JavaScript](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/007) and [Visual Basic](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/005). Adversaries may abuse these technologies in various ways as a means of executing arbitrary commands. Commands and scripts can be embedded in [Initial Access](https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0001) payloads delivered to victims as lure documents or as secondary payloads downloaded from an existing C2. Adversaries may also execute commands through interactive terminals/shells, as well as utilize various [Remote Services](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1021) in order to achieve remote Execution.(Citation: Powershell Remote Commands)(Citation: Cisco IOS Software Integrity Assurance - Command History)(Citation: Remote Shell Execution in Python)
KEV CVEs mapped to this technique
MITRE CTID maps these KEV CVEs to this technique by hand. They are the actively exploited vulnerabilities behind this technique's KEV signal.
CVE-2025-6554CVE-2025-6543CVE-2025-53770CVE-2025-47812CVE-2025-4632CVE-2025-4428CVE-2025-4427CVE-2025-42999CVE-2025-42599CVE-2025-3935CVE-2025-3928CVE-2025-35939CVE-2025-33053CVE-2025-32756CVE-2025-32709CVE-2025-32706CVE-2025-32701CVE-2025-3248CVE-2025-32433CVE-2025-31324CVE-2025-31201CVE-2025-31200CVE-2025-31161CVE-2025-30406CVE-2025-30397CVE-2025-27038CVE-2025-24985CVE-2025-24201CVE-2025-24085CVE-2025-24016CVE-2025-23006CVE-2025-22457CVE-2025-21590CVE-2025-20337CVE-2025-20281CVE-2025-1976CVE-2025-0994CVE-2024-6047CVE-2024-58136CVE-2024-57968CVE-2024-57727CVE-2024-56145CVE-2024-53197CVE-2024-53104CVE-2024-5217CVE-2024-50603CVE-2024-4947CVE-2024-4885CVE-2024-4879CVE-2024-4761CVE-2024-4671CVE-2024-4577CVE-2024-45195CVE-2024-41710CVE-2024-38475CVE-2024-34102CVE-2024-29059CVE-2024-27198CVE-2024-26169CVE-2024-21887CVE-2024-21413CVE-2024-20953CVE-2024-20399CVE-2024-20359CVE-2024-12987CVE-2024-12686CVE-2024-11182CVE-2023-7101CVE-2023-48788CVE-2023-48365CVE-2023-43770CVE-2023-41179CVE-2023-40044CVE-2023-38035CVE-2023-36851CVE-2023-36847CVE-2023-36846CVE-2023-36845CVE-2023-35081CVE-2023-34362CVE-2023-34192CVE-2023-33538CVE-2023-33246CVE-2023-2868CVE-2023-28252CVE-2023-27350CVE-2023-26359CVE-2023-2533CVE-2023-22952CVE-2023-22515CVE-2023-20887CVE-2023-20867CVE-2023-20273CVE-2023-20118CVE-2023-20109CVE-2022-43939CVE-2022-43769CVE-2022-42948CVE-2022-41125CVE-2022-39197CVE-2022-37969CVE-2022-36804CVE-2022-35914CVE-2022-35405CVE-2022-34713CVE-2022-29303CVE-2022-26501CVE-2022-26500CVE-2022-26258CVE-2022-24521CVE-2022-23748CVE-2022-23131CVE-2022-22965CVE-2022-22947CVE-2022-22047CVE-2022-21999CVE-2022-21971CVE-2022-1040CVE-2021-45382CVE-2021-45046CVE-2021-42321CVE-2021-42258CVE-2021-42237CVE-2021-42013CVE-2021-41773CVE-2021-35464CVE-2021-35394CVE-2021-3129CVE-2021-31166CVE-2021-27104CVE-2021-27102CVE-2021-27101CVE-2021-26084CVE-2021-22986CVE-2021-22900CVE-2021-22894CVE-2021-22893CVE-2021-22205CVE-2021-22204CVE-2021-22005CVE-2021-21972CVE-2021-20035CVE-2021-1498CVE-2021-1497CVE-2020-8515CVE-2020-5902CVE-2020-3580CVE-2020-29574CVE-2020-29557CVE-2020-25506CVE-2020-17530CVE-2020-15505CVE-2020-0787CVE-2019-3398CVE-2019-19781CVE-2019-17558CVE-2019-13608CVE-2019-11634CVE-2019-11580CVE-2019-11510CVE-2018-7600CVE-2018-6789CVE-2018-11776CVE-2017-9822CVE-2017-9805CVE-2017-6742CVE-2017-5638CVE-2017-11882CVE-2016-4437CVE-2010-2883
Research citing this technique
Reports and advisories from the last 90 days that cite this technique.
-
2026-11-03ESET: Gorbag: Orcs at the border harvesting intelligence from Ukraine -
2026-10-29Cisco Talos: IR trends Q3 2026: Actors impersonate IT help desks in vishing attacks as ransomware activity increases -
2026-10-21Elastic Security Labs: php2shell: Assessing Elastic detection coverage relevant to CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 -
2026-09-24FortiGuard Labs: Uncovering a SectopRAT Variant Embedded in Legitimate Software -
2026-09-03Recorded Future Insikt: H1 2026 Malware Vulnerability Trends -
2026-08-13Recorded Future Insikt: Malware Crypting Services and the Threat Actors Who Sell Them -
2026-08-11Elastic Security Labs: 13 million tool calls: auditing every AI coding agent action with Elastic Agent
Detection coverage
thrunt rules
SigmaHQ community rules
- Turla Group Lateral Movement (emerging-threats)
- Lazarus Group Activity (emerging-threats)
- Potential Atlassian Confluence CVE-2021-26084 Exploitation Attempt (emerging-threats)
- Potential CVE-2021-40444 Exploitation Attempt (emerging-threats)
- REvil Kaseya Incident Malware Patterns (emerging-threats)
- Atlassian Confluence CVE-2022-26134 (emerging-threats)
- CVE-2023-22518 Exploitation Attempt - Suspicious Confluence Child Process (Linux) (emerging-threats)
- CVE-2023-22518 Exploitation Attempt - Suspicious Confluence Child Process (Windows) (emerging-threats)
- Potential MOVEit Transfer CVE-2023-34362 Exploitation - Dynamic Compilation Via Csc.EXE (emerging-threats)
- DarkGate - Autoit3.EXE File Creation By Uncommon Process (emerging-threats)
- DarkGate - Autoit3.EXE Execution Parameters (emerging-threats)
- Ursnif Redirection Of Discovery Commands (emerging-threats)
- DarkGate - Drop DarkGate Loader In C:\Temp Directory (emerging-threats)
- Potential KamiKakaBot Activity - Lure Document Execution (emerging-threats)
- Linux Suspicious Child Process from Node.js - React2Shell (emerging-threats)
- Windows Suspicious Child Process from Node.js - React2Shell (emerging-threats)
- Shai-Hulud Malware Indicators - Linux (emerging-threats)
- Shai-Hulud Malware Indicators - Windows (emerging-threats)
- Elevated System Shell Spawned (threat-hunting)
- Manual Execution of Script Inside of a Compressed File (threat-hunting)
- Azure New CloudShell Created (core)
- BPFDoor Abnormal Process ID or Lock File Accessed (core)
- Suspicious Invocation of Shell via AWK - Linux (core)
- Capsh Shell Invocation - Linux (core)
- Shell Execution via Git - Linux (core)
Showing 25 of 94 community rules.
the full set is tagged attack.t1059 in
SigmaHQ.
Elastic and Splunk rules
- Curl Download Activity from npm Package Install (elastic)
- Network Connection to OAST Domain via Script Interpreter (elastic)
- ROT Encoded Python Script Execution (elastic)
- Long Base64 Encoded Command via Scripting Interpreter (elastic)
- Command Line Obfuscation via Whitespace Padding (elastic)
- Cloud Offensive Framework Execution (elastic)
- AWS EC2 LOLBin Execution via SSM SendCommand (elastic)
- AWS SSM `SendCommand` with Run Shell Command Parameters (elastic)
- AWS SSM Session Manager Child Process Execution (elastic)
- Azure Run Command Script Child Process (elastic)
- Azure Run Command Correlated with Process Execution (elastic)
- Direct Interactive Kubernetes API Request by Common Utilities (elastic)
- Forbidden Direct Interactive Kubernetes API Request (elastic)
- Direct Interactive Kubernetes API Request by Unusual Utilities (elastic)
- Service Account Token or Certificate Access Followed by Kubernetes API Request (elastic)
- Potential Git CVE-2025-48384 Exploitation (elastic)
- Kubernetes Direct API Request via Curl or Wget (elastic)
- Node.js Pre or Post-Install Script Execution (elastic)
- Execution via OpenClaw Agent (elastic)
- Privileged Container Creation with Host Directory Mount (elastic)
- Potential Prompt Injection Coercing Shell Execution (elastic)
- Remote GitHub Actions Runner Registration (elastic)
- Potential Reverse Shell Activity via Terminal (elastic)
- Potential SAP NetWeaver WebShell Creation (elastic)
- Potential SAP NetWeaver Exploitation (elastic)
Showing 25 of 395.