T1546.013 PowerShell Profile

Technique: T1546.013
Tactics: Privilege Escalation, Persistence
Research, 90 days: 1
KEV CVEs mapped: 0
SigmaHQ rules: 3
Elastic, Splunk: 1
thrunt rules: 0
Upstream: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1546/013

MITRE description

Adversaries may gain persistence and elevate privileges by executing malicious content triggered by PowerShell profiles. A PowerShell profile (<code>profile.ps1</code>) is a script that runs when [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) starts and can be used as a logon script to customize user environments. [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) supports several profiles depending on the user or host program. For example, there can be different profiles for [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) host programs such as the PowerShell console, PowerShell ISE or Visual Studio Code. An administrator can also configure a profile that applies to all users and host programs on the local computer.(Citation: Microsoft About Profiles) Adversaries may modify these profiles to include arbitrary commands, functions, modules, and/or [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) drives to gain persistence. Every time a user opens a [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) session the modified script will be executed unless the <code>-NoProfile</code> flag is used when it is launched.(Citation: ESET Turla PowerShell May 2019) An adversary may also be able to escalate privileges if a script in a PowerShell profile is loaded and executed by an account with higher privileges, such as a domain administrator.(Citation: Wits End and Shady PowerShell Profiles)

Research citing this technique

Reports and advisories from the last 90 days that cite this technique.

2026-08-13 Recorded Future Insikt: Malware Crypting Services and the Threat Actors Who Sell Them

Detection coverage

SigmaHQ community rules

Elastic and Splunk rules

Persistence via PowerShell profile (elastic)

Signal counts reflect the current corpus snapshot. Research citations are the technique IDs named in vendor reports and government advisories from the last 90 days; KEV mappings come from MITRE CTID. Coverage is the SigmaHQ rule inventory (core, emerging-threats, threat-hunting) at release r2026-07-01 plus Elastic and Splunk production rules. Rule bodies are not mirrored; links go upstream.