title: Hypervisor CLI (T1059.012)
id: df00tech-t1059-012
status: experimental
description: "Adversaries may abuse hypervisor command line interpreters (CLIs) to execute malicious commands. Hypervisor CLIs enable functionality for managing both the hypervisor and guest virtual machines. On ESXi systems, tools such as esxcli and vim-cmd allow administrators to configure firewall rules, manage log forwarding, list/start/stop virtual machines, and more. Adversaries leverage these tools for discovery, VM termination (ransomware), firewall manipulation, and persistence. UNC3886 used esxcli extensively for malware installation and artifact removal. Ransomware families including Cheerscrypt, Royal, and BlackBasta use esxcli to enumerate and terminate VMs before encryption."
references:
  - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/012/
  - https://df00tech.com/detections/T1059.012
author: df00tech
date: 2026/04/16
tags:
  - attack.t1059.012
# NOTE: logsource is auto-derived and may need adjustment for your environment
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  # This detection logic could not be auto-translated; see the KQL/SPL query on df00tech.
  selection:
    EventID: '*'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - VMware administrators performing routine VM management (start/stop VMs during maintenance)
  - Patching operations installing legitimate VIBs during scheduled maintenance windows
  - "Infrastructure automation tools (vRealize, Ansible) managing ESXi hosts"
level: critical