OpenEDR Spawning Command Shell

Detects the OpenEDR ssh-shellhost.exe spawning a command shell (cmd.exe) or PowerShell with PTY (pseudo-terminal) capabilities. This may indicate remote command execution through OpenEDR's remote management features, which could be legitimate administrative activity or potential abuse of the remote access tool. Threat actors may leverage OpenEDR's remote shell capabilities to execute commands on compromised systems, facilitating lateral movement or other command-and-control operations.

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Detection logic

selection_img

ParentImage|endswith: \ITSMService.exe
Image|endswith: \ssh-shellhost.exe
CommandLine|contains: --pty

selection_cli_shell

CommandLine|contains:
  - bash
  - cmd
  - powershell
  - pwsh

Condition

all of selection_*

Raw YAML

title: OpenEDR Spawning Command Shell
id: 7f3a9c2d-4e8b-4a7f-9d3e-5c6f8a9b2e1d
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects the OpenEDR ssh-shellhost.exe spawning a command shell (cmd.exe) or PowerShell with PTY (pseudo-terminal) capabilities.
    This may indicate remote command execution through OpenEDR's remote management features, which could be legitimate administrative activity or potential abuse of the remote access tool.
    Threat actors may leverage OpenEDR's remote shell capabilities to execute commands on compromised systems, facilitating lateral movement or other command-and-control operations.
author: '@kostastsale'
date: 2026-02-19
references:
    - https://kostas-ts.medium.com/detecting-abuse-of-openedrs-permissive-edr-trial-a-security-researcher-s-perspective-fc55bf53972c
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1059.003
    - attack.lateral-movement
    - attack.t1021.004
    - attack.command-and-control
    - attack.t1219
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: process_creation
detection:
    selection_img:
        ParentImage|endswith: '\ITSMService.exe'
        Image|endswith: '\ssh-shellhost.exe'
        CommandLine|contains: '--pty'
    selection_cli_shell:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'bash'
            - 'cmd'
            - 'powershell'
            - 'pwsh'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of OpenEDR for remote command execution
level: medium