Microsoft created Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to handle how Windows computers allocate resources in an operational environment.
WMI also does another important thing: it facilitates local and remote access to computer networks.
Unfortunately, black hat hackers can hijack this capability for malicious purposes through a persistence attack.
As such, here’s how to remove WMI persistence from Windows and keep yourself safe.
What Is WMI Persistence, and Why Is it Dangerous?
Persistence attacks are dangerous because they are stealthy.
With this attack vector, the attacker can avoid getting discovered through command-line auditing.
How to Prevent and Remove WMI Persistence
WMI event subscriptions are cleverly scripted to avoid detection.
The best way to avoid persistence attacks is to shut down the WMI service.
Doing this should not affect your overall user experience unless youre a power user.
This measure lets the WMI service run locally while blocking remote access.
This is a good idea, especially becauseremote computer access comes with its own share of risks.
Worse still, technical knowledge is not needed to carry out a persistence attack.
Instructions on creating and launching WMI persistence attacks are freely available on the internet.
However, the good news is there are no absolutes in technology and cybersecurity.
It is still possible to prevent and remove WMI persistence before an attacker does great damage.
