gpt-4.1-nano vs o1-high KQL Benchmark

On a Linux system, review process execution records for any shell process that set an environment variable containing executable code and then piped it into another shell instance. Determine which environment variable name was used to store the script content.

On a Windows endpoint, commands are no longer being logged to PowerShell history, suggesting PSReadLine settings were altered. Using process execution logs, determine the exact command that was run to set the history save style to 'SaveNothing'.

On Windows systems, identify when the built-in Shadow Copy utility is used to enumerate existing snapshots. What was the full command executed?

A Windows system shows a cmd.exe process spawn that appears to have been used for environment discovery. Review the process creation records to identify the exact command the adversary ran to enumerate environment variables.

Investigate Windows file creation logs to uncover any new executable added directly to the System32 directory, which may indicate a UEFI persistence implant. What was the name of the file created?

A Windows host shows a process launching with install-driver switches, likely signaling malicious driver deployment. What is the name of the tool that was executed?

A Linux system shows a 'find' command used to search within .aws directories. Which specific AWS credential filename was the attacker attempting to locate?

On a Windows host, an attacker leveraged COMSVCS.DLL via rundll32.exe to dump the memory of svchost.exe into a file under the Temp directory. Review the file creation logs to determine the exact name of the dump file that was generated.

Using Windows process event logs, investigate PowerShell activity around lsass.exe memory capture. What was the name of the script file invoked to perform the dump?

On a Linux host, a ping command was executed to test internet connectivity. Determine which IP address was used as the ping target.

On a Windows host, someone appears to have run a built-in network shell utility to list saved wireless network profiles and their passwords in clear text. Review the process creation logs to discover the exact command that was executed.

Review Linux process execution records for any commands that list TCP metric cache entries and filter out loopback interfaces. Which utility was used?

A Windows host shows a process launch with an extremely obfuscated command line that dynamically builds and invokes code at runtime. Which process name was used to execute this payload?

On a Windows endpoint, look for evidence of a base64-encoded PowerShell payload execution. Which executable launched the encoded command?

A process is running under a familiar Windows host name but originates from a user's AppData folder rather than the System32 directory. Identify the filename used to masquerade the PowerShell binary on this Windows device.

A threat actor on a Windows system crafted and registered a service named almost identically to the standard time service, but redirecting execution to a custom script. Review the logging data to determine which native command-line tool was used to perform this action. What utility was invoked?

In a Linux environment, you observe a process labeled like the cron daemon but running from an unexpected path. Investigate creation events to uncover the actual filename used by this fake cron process.

Analyze Windows process events for any schtasks.exe commands that created a new task invoking PowerShell. What is the name of the .ps1 script specified to run?

Linux hosts may log events when new files are added to /var/spool/cron/crontabs. Query those logs for a creation or write action in that directory and determine the file name that was added.

You suspect malicious persistence via scheduled tasks on a Windows endpoint. Review the process execution logs to identify the built-in utility used to register tasks at logon or startup. What is the name of this utility?

On a Windows host, find any scheduled task that was registered using PowerShell native cmdlets instead of schtasks.exe. What was the name given to the new task?

A malicious actor may attempt to list running processes on a Windows machine using a WMI-based command. Review the process creation events to find out which utility was invoked to perform this enumeration.

Investigate Windows process events for PowerShell activity that leverages WMI to register a scheduled task via XML import. What was the name of the XML file supplied to the RegisterByXml method?

On a Windows device, review the process execution logs to find instances where a built-in listing tool was piped into a string filter. Identify the process name that the attacker was searching for.

On a Windows host, investigate process events to find when Task Manager was launched via cmd with an unusual flag. What was the full command executed?