Detection: Interactive Session on Remote Endpoint with PowerShell

Updated Date: 2026-05-13 ID: a4e8f3a4-48b2-11ec-bcfc-3e22fbd008af Author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects the use of the Enter-PSSession cmdlet to establish an interactive session on a remote endpoint via the WinRM protocol. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode=4104) to identify this activity by searching for specific script block text patterns. This behavior is significant as it may indicate lateral movement or remote code execution attempts by adversaries. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow attackers to execute commands remotely, potentially leading to further compromise of the network and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Search

 1`powershell` EventCode=4104 (ScriptBlockText="*Enter-PSSession*" AND ScriptBlockText="*-ComputerName*")
 2  
 3| fillnull
 4  
 5| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
 6    BY dest signature signature_id
 7       user_id vendor_product EventID
 8       Guid Opcode Name
 9       Path ProcessID ScriptBlockId
10       ScriptBlockText
11  
12| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
13  
14| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
15  
16| `interactive_session_on_remote_endpoint_with_powershell_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
Powershell Script Block Logging 4104	Windows	`'XmlWinEventLog'`	`'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational'`

Macros Used

Name	Value
security_content_ctime	`convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$)`
interactive_session_on_remote_endpoint_with_powershell_filter	`search *`

interactive_session_on_remote_endpoint_with_powershell_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK

+ Kill Chain Phases

+ NIST

+ CIS

- Threat Actors

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1021.006	Windows Remote Management	Lateral Movement

Exploitation

DE.CM

CIS 10

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting	Value
Disabled	true
Cron Schedule	`0 * * * *`
Earliest Time	`-70m@m`
Latest Time	`-10m@m`
Schedule Window	`auto`
Creates Finding (Notable)	Yes
Rule Title	`%name%`
Rule Description	`%description%`
Notable Event Fields	user, dest
Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event)	No

TTP detections generate a Finding (Notable) and may generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events) for associated entities.

Implementation

To successfully implement this analytic, you will need to enable PowerShell Script Block Logging on some or all endpoints. Additional setup instructions can be found https://help.splunk.com/en/security-offerings/splunk-user-behavior-analytics/get-data-in/5.4.1/add-other-data-to-splunk-uba/configure-powershell-logging-to-see-powershell-anomalies-in-splunk-uba.

Known False Positives

Administrators may leverage WinRM and Enter-PSSession for administrative and troubleshooting tasks. This activity is usually limited to a small set of hosts or users. In certain environments, tuning may not be possible.

Associated Analytic Story

Active Directory Lateral Movement

Finding

Title	Entity Field	Entity Type	Risk Score
An interactive session was opened on a remote endpoint from $dest$	dest	system	50

References

Detection Testing

Test Type	Status	Dataset	Source	Sourcetype
Validation	✅ Passing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Unit	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`
Integration	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub | Version: 15