Windows Antivirus Exclusions Enumeration - Metasploit


This page contains detailed information about how to use the post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded metasploit module. For list of all metasploit modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

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Module Overview

Name: Windows Antivirus Exclusions Enumeration
Module: post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded
Source code: modules/post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded.rb
Disclosure date: -
Last modification time: 2017-07-24 06:26:21 +0000
Supported architecture(s): -
Supported platform(s): Windows
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: -

This module will enumerate the file, directory, process and extension-based exclusions from supported AV products, which currently includes Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Security Essentials/Antimalware, and Symantec Endpoint Protection.

Module Ranking and Traits

Module Ranking:

  • normal: The exploit is otherwise reliable, but depends on a specific version and can't (or doesn't) reliably autodetect. More information about ranking can be found here.

Basic Usage

There are two ways to execute this post module.

From the Meterpreter prompt

The first is by using the "run" command at the Meterpreter prompt. It allows you to run the post module against that specific session:

meterpreter > run post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded

From the msf prompt

The second is by using the "use" command at the msf prompt. You will have to figure out which session ID to set manually. To list all session IDs, you can use the "sessions" command.

msf > use post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded
msf post(enum_av_excluded) > show options
    ... show and set options ...
msf post(enum_av_excluded) > set SESSION session-id
msf post(enum_av_excluded) > exploit

If you wish to run the post against all sessions from framework, here is how:

1 - Create the following resource script:


framework.sessions.each_pair do |sid, session|
  run_single("use post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded")
  run_single("set SESSION #{sid}")
  run_single("run")
end

2 - At the msf prompt, execute the above resource script:

msf > resource path-to-resource-script

Required Options

  • SESSION: The session to run this module on.

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Msfconsole Usage

Here is how the windows/gather/enum_av_excluded post exploitation module looks in the msfconsole:

msf6 > use post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_av_excluded) > show info

       Name: Windows Antivirus Exclusions Enumeration
     Module: post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded
   Platform: Windows
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  Andrew Smith
  Jon Hart <[email protected]>

Compatible session types:
  Meterpreter

Basic options:
  Name        Current Setting  Required  Description
  ----        ---------------  --------  -----------
  DEFENDER    true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Microsoft Defender
  ESSENTIALS  true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Microsoft Security Essentials/Antimalware
  SEP         true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)
  SESSION                      yes       The session to run this module on.

Description:
  This module will enumerate the file, directory, process and 
  extension-based exclusions from supported AV products, which 
  currently includes Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Security 
  Essentials/Antimalware, and Symantec Endpoint Protection.

Module Options

This is a complete list of options available in the windows/gather/enum_av_excluded post exploitation module:

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_av_excluded) > show options

Module options (post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded):

   Name        Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----        ---------------  --------  -----------
   DEFENDER    true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Microsoft Defender
   ESSENTIALS  true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Microsoft Security Essentials/Antimalware
   SEP         true             yes       Enumerate exclusions for Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)
   SESSION                      yes       The session to run this module on.

Advanced Options

Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the windows/gather/enum_av_excluded post exploitation module:

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_av_excluded) > show advanced

Module advanced options (post/windows/gather/enum_av_excluded):

   Name       Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----       ---------------  --------  -----------
   VERBOSE    false            no        Enable detailed status messages
   WORKSPACE                   no        Specify the workspace for this module

Post Actions

This is a list of all post exploitation actions which the windows/gather/enum_av_excluded module can do:

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_av_excluded) > show actions

Post actions:

   Name  Description
   ----  -----------

Evasion Options

Here is the full list of possible evasion options supported by the windows/gather/enum_av_excluded post exploitation module in order to evade defenses (e.g. Antivirus, EDR, Firewall, NIDS etc.):

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_av_excluded) > show evasion

Module evasion options:

   Name  Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----  ---------------  --------  -----------

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Error Messages

This module may fail with the following error messages:

Error Messages

Check for the possible causes from the code snippets below found in the module source code. This can often times help in identifying the root cause of the problem.

No <EXCLUSION_TYPE> exclusions for <PRODUCT>

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "No <EXCLUSION_TYPE> exclusions for <PRODUCT>" error message:

91:	
92:	  def print_exclusions_table(product, exclusion_type, exclusions)
93:	    exclusions ||= []
94:	    exclusions = exclusions.compact.reject(&:blank?)
95:	    if exclusions.empty?
96:	      print_status("No #{exclusion_type} exclusions for #{product}")
97:	      return
98:	    end
99:	    table = Rex::Text::Table.new(
100:	      'Header'    => "#{product} excluded #{exclusion_type.pluralize}",
101:	      'Indent'    => 1,

Must set one or more of DEFENDER, ESSENTIALS or SEP to true

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Must set one or more of DEFENDER, ESSENTIALS or SEP to true" error message:

105:	    print_line(table.to_s)
106:	  end
107:	
108:	  def setup
109:	    unless datastore['DEFENDER'] || datastore['ESSENTIALS'] || datastore['SEP']
110:	      fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Must set one or more of DEFENDER, ESSENTIALS or SEP to true')
111:	    end
112:	
113:	    # all of these target applications seemingly store their registry
114:	    # keys/values at the same architecture of the host, so if we happen to be
115:	    # in a 32-bit process on a 64-bit machine, ensure that we read from the

No supported AV identified

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "No supported AV identified" error message:

133:	      found = true
134:	      excluded_mssec
135:	    end
136:	    if datastore['SEP'] && av_installed?(SEP_BASE_KEY, SEP)
137:	      found = true
138:	      excluded_sep
139:	    end
140:	
141:	    print_error "No supported AV identified" unless found
142:	  end
143:	end

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See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

Authors

  • Andrew Smith
  • Jon Hart <jon_hart[at]rapid7.com>

Version

This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.1.41-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

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