SysInternals

Overview

Sysinternals is a collection of powerful, lightweight utilities developed by Mark Russinovich (now part of Microsoft). These tools are a staple in both IT operations and cybersecurity due to their ability to give deep visibility into Windows internals. Sysinternals provides insight into process management, network activity, file access, security configurations, and more—which makes it valuable for blue teams, red teams, and penetration testers alike.

Categories and Key Tools in Sysinternals

1. Process and System Monitoring Tools

These utilities help monitor processes, threads, memory, and system resource usage.

• Process Explorer (procexp):

  • Alternative to Task Manager, showing a detailed view of running processes, DLLs, and handles.

  • It’s used to inspect processes for malicious activity and detect rootkits by revealing hidden processes.

  • Usage Example:

    • Track a suspicious process:

      procexp.exe

    • Use it to identify parent-child relationships and loaded modules in each process.

• Procmon (Process Monitor):

  • Captures real-time logs of file system, registry, and process/thread activity.

  • Essential for debugging malware behavior or finding how an attacker gains persistence via the registry.

  • Filter example: Track modifications to HKCU\Software:

    procmon.exe

    Set a filter: Path → Contains → HKCU\Software

2. Networking Tools

Monitor and troubleshoot network connections and ports. These are useful for identifying backdoors, reverse shells, or rogue services.

• TCPView:

  • Displays open network connections in real-time, including local and remote IP addresses.

  • Helps detect unusual outbound connections (e.g., malware calling home).

    plaintextCopy codetcpview.exe

  • Look for processes making suspicious outbound connections to IPs not normally accessed.

• PsPing:

  • Tests network connectivity and performance, offering more features than ping or tracert.

    bashCopy codepsping.exe 192.168.1.1:443

  • Uses: Check latency, bandwidth, and open ports during internal recon.

3. File and Disk Utilities

Tools in this category inspect file usage, disk performance, and access permissions.

• AccessChk:

  • Shows user permissions on files, directories, and registry keys, helping detect misconfigurations that could allow privilege escalation.

    accesschk.exe -w -s c:\sensitive-folder

  • Use case: Identify which services or folders have write access for unauthorized users.

• Autoruns:

  • Displays all startup programs and services, including registry keys and scheduled tasks.

  • Used for persistence detection: Find hidden backdoors or services an attacker planted.

    autoruns.exe

4. Remote Management Tools

Tools for remote administration and lateral movement, widely used by attackers but equally important for defenders.

• PsExec:

  • Allows remote command execution on other Windows systems.

  • Commonly used by attackers for lateral movement after credential compromise.

    psexec \\target -u admin -p password cmd.exe

  • Use case: Red teams use PsExec to move between machines, while blue teams monitor for suspicious remote executions.

• PsList / PsKill:

  • PsList shows detailed process information for remote or local systems:

    pslist \\target

  • PsKill can terminate processes on local or remote machines:

    pskill \\target notepad.exe

5. Security and Forensics Tools

These utilities help analyze user activity, track access to sensitive areas, and uncover malicious behavior.

• SigCheck:

  • Verifies digital signatures of files to detect tampered or untrusted executables.

    sigcheck.exe -e c:\windows\system32\*.exe

  • Use case: Detect if attackers have replaced legitimate Windows files with malicious ones.

• Strings:

  • Extracts readable strings from binary files, often used to analyze malware and find hardcoded IPs, URLs, or other clues.

    strings.exe malware.bin

6. User and Logon Management Tools

Used to monitor user sessions, detect unauthorized access, and handle credentials.

• LogonSessions:

  • Displays all active user sessions along with their logon time.

    logonsessions.exe

  • Use case: Detect unauthorized logins or compromised accounts with suspicious session activity.

• PsLoggedOn:

  • Identifies which users are currently logged in to local or remote systems.

    psloggedon \\target