In-Memory AMSI Bypass via amsiInitFailed Field Manipulation in PowerShell (via ps_script)

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
ps_script
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-08-28
Updated
2026-08-28

ATT&CK techniques

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects a PowerShell script block that sets the amsiInitFailed field to True, the in-memory AMSI bypass used by the agent1.ps1 stage of an Azorult campaign smuggled through Google Sites. Forcing amsiInitFailed disables Antimalware Scan Interface inspection so later stages run unscanned, making this a high-confidence defense-evasion signal.

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Malicious Microsoft Defender Critical Security Components Disabled - Command (via process_creation)
Malicious Microsoft Defender Service Deactivation Attempt - Command (via process_creation)
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In-Memory AMSI Bypass via amsiInitFailed Field Manipulation in PowerShell (via ps_script)
Pivot detection · T1685 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.