Environment Preparation

MAIAT sets up a secure, isolated environment tailored to the script type:

• OS-Specific Sandboxes:
  • Windows: For PowerShell, VBScript, JScript.
  • Linux: For Bash, Python, Perl.
  • Headless browsers: For malicious JavaScript (e.g., in HTML emails).
• Network Isolation: All traffic routed through monitoring tools; DNS and HTTP requests logged.
• Tool Deployment: Ensures availability of:
  • Static Analyzers: Jupyter Notebooks (for Python), PSScriptAnalyzer, ViperMonkey, JSNice.
  • Dynamic Tools: Cuckoo, Any.Run, custom script emulators.
  • Decoders: Base64, hex, ROT13, Gzip, and custom deobfuscation engines.
  • MAIAT Agents: Auto-load AI-powered deobfuscators and behavioral predictors.

Static Analysis

A MAIAT static agent analyzes script content without execution:

• Syntax & Language Detection: Identifies script type (PowerShell, Python, etc.) via shebangs, keywords, or structure.
• Obfuscation Detection: Flags:
  • Encoded commands (-EncodedCommand in PowerShell)
  • String splitting, chr(), fromCharCode()
  • Junk code, dead logic, variable name entropy
• Command Pattern Matching: Detects dangerous constructs:
  • PowerShell: IEX, Invoke-WebRequest, Net.WebClient
  • Bash: curl, wget, base64 -d | sh
  • Python: exec(), eval(), os.system()
• URL/IP Extraction: Identifies C2 domains, download links, or exfiltration endpoints.
• Hashing & IOC Matching: Computes SHA256 of script and checks against internal and public threat databases.

Dynamic Analysis

MAIAT executes the script in a controlled environment to observe runtime behavior:

• Controlled Execution: Runs with limited privileges; uses emulated environments when safe.
• Behavior Monitoring:
  • File system changes (e.g., dropped payloads)
  • Registry edits (PowerShell), cron jobs (Bash)
  • Process creation (cmd.exe, python, sh)
• Network Activity: Logs all outbound connections; detects beaconing or data exfiltration.
• API/System Call Tracing: Uses ETW (Windows) or strace (Linux) to monitor execution flow.
• Command Reconstruction: Rebuilds dynamically generated commands from string concatenation or decoding.

Advanced Analysis

For heavily obfuscated or polymorphic scripts, MAIAT applies deep analysis:

• Deobfuscation Engine: Uses AST parsing and emulation (e.g., ViperMonkey for VBA, custom PowerShell decoders) to reconstruct original logic.
• Code Emulation: Simulates execution without running the script (e.g., for phishing JS or encoded payloads).
• Entropy & ML-Based Detection: AI agent scores obfuscation level and classifies script family (e.g., Emotet loader, Cobalt Strike beacon).
• Persistence Detection: Identifies attempts to write to startup locations, cron, or registry Run keys.

Classification and Risk Assessment

A MAIAT classification agent determines the threat type and risk:

Threat Type

• Downloader: Fetches secondary payloads.
• Launcher: Executes malware via LOLBins (e.g., mshta, regsvr32).
• Backdoor: Opens reverse shell (e.g., nc, pwsh -e).
• Stealer: Harvests credentials, cookies, or SSH keys.

Risk Level

• Low: Benign automation or known safe script.
• Medium: Obfuscated but non-malicious behavior.
• High: Confirmed C2 communication or payload execution.
• Critical: Privilege escalation, lateral movement, or data destruction.

Reporting

A MAIAT reporting agent generates a structured output:

• Script Overview: Type, size, hash, author (if metadata exists).
• Threat Summary: Detected family (e.g., Qakbot, BazarLoader), delivery method.
• Indicators of Compromise (IOCs):
  • SHA256, URLs, IPs, filenames
  • Decoded commands, registry keys
• TTPs (MITRE ATT&CK): T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), T1070.004 (File Deletion), T1566 (Phishing).
• Mitigation Recommendations:
  • Block execution of scripts from temp directories.
  • Enable AMSI (Windows) or restrict exec() in Python environments.
  • Deploy ASR rules to block suspicious script behaviors.
  • Monitor for encoded command usage.

AI Agent Coordination

MAIAT’s central AI coordinator dynamically assigns analysis tasks — deobfuscation, emulation, network monitoring — based on script complexity. It learns from each sample, improving detection of new obfuscation techniques. Integrated with SOAR platforms, MAIAT can automatically block IOCs, alert analysts, or enrich SIEM logs, making it ideal for automated defense against script-based threats.