Remote Services: Windows Remote Management

Adversaries may use Valid Accounts to interact with remote systems using Windows Remote Management (WinRM). The adversary may then perform actions as the logged-on user.

WinRM is the name of both a Windows service and a protocol that allows a user to interact with a remote system (e.g., run an executable, modify the Registry, modify services).[1] It may be called with the winrm command or by any number of programs such as PowerShell.[2] WinRM can be used as a method of remotely interacting with Windows Management Instrumentation.[3]

ID: T1021.006
Sub-technique of:  T1021
Platforms: Windows
Version: 1.2
Created: 11 February 2020
Last Modified: 24 October 2025

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
S1063 Brute Ratel C4

Brute Ratel C4 can use WinRM for pivoting.[4]

G0114 Chimera

Chimera has used WinRM for lateral movement.[5]

S0154 Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike can use WinRM to execute a payload on a remote host.[6][7]

G1016 FIN13

FIN13 has leveraged WMI to move laterally within a compromised network via application servers and SQL servers.[8]

C0048 Operation MidnightEclipse

During Operation MidnightEclipse, threat actors used WinRM to move laterally in targeted networks.[9]

S0692 SILENTTRINITY

SILENTTRINITY tracks TrustedHosts and can move laterally to these targets via WinRM.[10]

C0024 SolarWinds Compromise

During the SolarWinds Compromise, APT29 used WinRM via PowerShell to execute commands and payloads on remote hosts.[11]

G1053 Storm-0501

Storm-0501 has utilized the post-exploitation tool known as Evil-WinRM that uses PowerShell over Windows Remote Management (WinRM) for remote code execution.[12]

G0027 Threat Group-3390

Threat Group-3390 has used WinRM to enable remote execution.[13]

G0102 Wizard Spider

Wizard Spider has used Window Remote Management to move laterally through a victim network.[14]

Mitigations

ID Mitigation Description
M1042 Disable or Remove Feature or Program

Disable the WinRM service.

M1030 Network Segmentation

If the service is necessary, lock down critical enclaves with separate WinRM infrastructure and follow WinRM best practices on use of host firewalls to restrict WinRM access to allow communication only to/from specific devices.[15]

M1026 Privileged Account Management

If the service is necessary, lock down critical enclaves with separate WinRM accounts and permissions.

Detection Strategy

ID Name Analytic ID Analytic Description
DET0477 Behavioral Detection of WinRM-Based Remote Access AN1313

Adversaries using WinRM to remotely execute commands, launch child processes, or access WMI. The detection chain includes service use, network activity, remote session logon, and process creation within a short temporal window.

References