POWERSOURCE queries Registry keys in preparation for setting Run keys to achieve persistence.3
tool
POWERSOURCE S0145
- Type
- malware
- Platform
- Windows
- Created
- 31 May 2017
- Last modified
- 16 April 2025
POWERSOURCE is a PowerShell backdoor that is a heavily obfuscated and modified version of the publicly available tool DNS_TXT_Pwnage. It was observed in February 2017 in spearphishing campaigns against personnel involved with United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings at various organizations. The malware was delivered when macros were enabled by the victim and a VBS script was dropped. [1] [2]
6
Techniques29th pct
6
Tactics53rd pct
1
Threat groupunranked
0
CampaignsNone recorded
Enterprise ATT&CK only. Any Mobile or ICS rows on the same ATT&CK page are not carried.
MITRE reference S0145
POWERSOURCE is a PowerShell backdoor.45
POWERSOURCE uses DNS TXT records for C2.67
POWERSOURCE has been observed being used to download TEXTMATE and the Cobalt Strike Beacon payload onto victims.8
POWERSOURCE achieves persistence by setting a Registry Run key, with the path depending on whether the victim account has user or administrator access.9
If the victim is using PowerShell 3.0 or later, POWERSOURCE writes its decoded payload to an alternate data stream (ADS) named kernel32.dll that is saved in %PROGRAMDATA%\Windows\.10
Standing S0145
Reach is how much of ATT&CK this tool touches. Coverage is how well defended each thing it does is, as a median per technique rather than a total — a total would just restate the reach. Each figure is ranked against all 825 ATT&CK software entries only where that population actually spreads. Where most of the population shares one value, a percentile would rank the tie instead of the entity, so the raw value is shown and no rank is claimed.
Reach
Techniques629th pct
29th percentile · 71% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more Enterprise techniques.
Tactics653rd pct
53rd percentile · 53% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many tactics spanned or fewer.
Threat group161% tie · 22 values
61% of the population shares a single value across only 22 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.
Campaigns085% tie · 8 values
85% of the population shares a single value across only 8 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.
Coverage
Rules / technique39medTop 14%
86th percentile · 86% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many detection rules per technique or fewer.
Tests / technique13med
Detection coverage S0145
537 distinct rules cover the 6 techniques recorded for this tool. The 561 technique-to-rule mappings resolve to 537 distinct rules, because one rule can cover several techniques. 402 Sigma · 135 Splunk.
6 covered by at least one rule537 distinct rules in total
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