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Windows:

Persistence

Registry, tasks, services, web shells, accounts, and ticket forging

6 guides • Created Apr 4, 2026 • Updated Apr 4, 2026
6 guides

Windows Account and Backdoor Creation

Creates persistent backdoor access via Windows local accounts, net user commands, and administrator group manipulation to maintain long-term system compromise.

Apr 4, 2026 • 4 min read

Windows Registry Persistence

Covers Windows Registry-based persistence techniques, including Run keys, Winlogon hijacking, and COM hijacking to maintain attacker footholds.

Apr 4, 2026 • 5 min read

Windows Scheduled Task Persistence

Covers abusing Windows Task Scheduler (schtasks/COM) to establish persistent execution, including trigger types, privilege levels, and XML task configurations.

Apr 4, 2026 • 4 min read

Windows Service Persistence

Establish persistent footholds by creating or hijacking Windows services, ensuring malicious payloads survive reboots and maintain long-term system access.

Apr 4, 2026 • 3 min read

Windows Web Shell Persistence

Covers detecting and mitigating web shell implants on Windows servers used by attackers to maintain persistent backdoor access via HTTP.

Apr 4, 2026 • 4 min read

Windows persistence ensures your access survives reboots, logoffs, and password changes. The right mechanism depends on the privilege level you hold and how much scrutiny the host is under. Registry Run/RunOnce keys and startup folder entries are simple but easily detected. Scheduled tasks and services offer more control over execution timing and context.

Advanced techniques include WMI event subscriptions that trigger on system events, DLL hijacking in trusted application search paths, COM object hijacking to redirect legitimate program loads, and AppInit_DLLs or Image File Execution Options for process injection at startup. Each method has a different detection profile against Windows Defender, Sysmon, and EDR products.

The subpages detail each persistence mechanism with implementation steps, required privilege levels, and which logging sources (event logs, Sysmon, registry auditing) can catch them.