Detection: Windows Screen Capture Via Powershell

Updated Date: 2026-05-13 ID: 5e0b1936-8f99-4399-8ee2-9edc5b32e170 Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects the execution of a PowerShell script designed to capture screen images on a host. It leverages PowerShell Script Block Logging to identify specific script block text patterns associated with screen capture activities. This behavior is significant as it may indicate an attempt to exfiltrate sensitive information by capturing desktop screenshots. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow an attacker to gather visual data from the compromised system, potentially leading to data breaches or further exploitation.

Search

 1`powershell`
 2EventCode=4104
 3ScriptBlockText IN (
 4    "*[Drawing.Graphics]::FromImage*",
 5    "*Drawing.Bitmap*",
 6    "*Graphics.FromImage*"
 7)
 8ScriptBlockText = "*.CopyFromScreen*"
 9
10| fillnull
11
12| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
13  BY dest signature signature_id
14     user_id vendor_product EventID
15     Guid Opcode Name
16     Path ProcessID ScriptBlockId
17     ScriptBlockText
18
19| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
20
21| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
22
23| `windows_screen_capture_via_powershell_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
Powershell Script Block Logging 4104	Windows	`'XmlWinEventLog'`	`'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational'`

Macros Used

Name	Value
security_content_ctime	`convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$)`
windows_screen_capture_via_powershell_filter	`search *`

windows_screen_capture_via_powershell_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK

+ Kill Chain Phases

+ NIST

+ CIS

- Threat Actors

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1113	Screen Capture	Collection

Exploitation

DE.CM

CIS 10

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting	Value
Disabled	true
Cron Schedule	`0 * * * *`
Earliest Time	`-70m@m`
Latest Time	`-10m@m`
Schedule Window	`auto`
Creates Finding (Notable)	Yes
Rule Title	`%name%`
Rule Description	`%description%`
Notable Event Fields	user, dest
Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event)	No

TTP detections generate a Finding (Notable) and may generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events) for associated entities.

Implementation

To successfully implement this analytic, you will need to enable PowerShell Script Block Logging on some or all endpoints. Additional setup here https://help.splunk.com/en/security-offerings/splunk-user-behavior-analytics/get-data-in/5.4.1/add-other-data-to-splunk-uba/configure-powershell-logging-to-see-powershell-anomalies-in-splunk-uba.

Known False Positives

No false positives have been identified at this time.

Associated Analytic Story

Finding

Title	Entity Field	Entity Type	Risk Score
A PowerShell script was identified possibly performing screen captures on $dest$.	dest	system	50

References

Detection Testing

Test Type	Status	Dataset	Source	Sourcetype
Validation	✅ Passing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Unit	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`
Integration	✅ Passing	Dataset	`XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational`	`XmlWinEventLog`

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub | Version: 14