sigmamediumHunting

Potential PowerShell Console History Access Attempt via History File

Detects potential access attempts to the PowerShell console history directly via history file (ConsoleHost_history.txt). This can give access to plaintext passwords used in PowerShell commands or used for general reconnaissance.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1552.001

credential-access

Detection Query

selection:
  CommandLine|contains:
    - ConsoleHost_history.txt
    - (Get-PSReadLineOption).HistorySavePath
condition: selection

Author

Luc Génaux

Created

2025-04-03

Data Sources

windowsProcess Creation Events

Platforms

windows

References

https://0xdf.gitlab.io/2018/11/08/powershell-history-file.html

Tags

attack.credential-accessattack.t1552.001

Raw Content

title: Potential PowerShell Console History Access Attempt via History File
id: f4ff7323-b5fc-4323-8b52-6b9408e15788
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects potential access attempts to the PowerShell console history directly via history file (ConsoleHost_history.txt).
    This can give access to plaintext passwords used in PowerShell commands or used for general reconnaissance.
references:
    - https://0xdf.gitlab.io/2018/11/08/powershell-history-file.html
author: Luc Génaux
date: 2025-04-03
tags:
    - attack.credential-access
    - attack.t1552.001
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'ConsoleHost_history.txt'
            - '(Get-PSReadLineOption).HistorySavePath'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate access of the console history file is possible
level: medium