XECA : PowerShell Payload Generator

XECA is a project that creates encrypted PowerShell payloads for offensive purposes. Creating position independent shellcode from DLL files is also possible.

Install

Firstly ensure that rust is installed, then build the project with the following command:

cargo build

How It Works?

  • Identify and encrypt the payload. Load encrypted payload into a powershell script and save to a file named “launch.txt”
  • The key to decrypt the payload is saved to a file named “safe.txt”
  • Execute “launch.txt” on a remote host
    • The script will call back to the attacker defined web server to retrieve the decryption key “safe.txt”
    • Decrypt the payload in memory
    • Execute the intended payload in memory

Mitigations

If users must have access to programs such as powershell.exe, consider minimising security risks with Just Enough Administration and PowerShell Logging. Application control policies can be deployed via a whitelisting technology such as AppLocker.

Mitigations

If users must have access to programs such as powershell.exe, consider minimising security risks with Just Enough Administration and PowerShell Logging. Application control policies can be deployed via a whitelisting technology such as Ap pLocker.

Acknowledgements

This tool would not be possible without the sharing of knowledge and information. Ideas, snippets and code from the following authors should be acknowledged:
@monoxgas
@H0neyBadger
@stephenfewer
@dismantl

License

xeca is licensed under GPLv3, some sub-components may have separate licenses. See their respective references in this project for details.

R K

Recent Posts

Best OSINT Tools for Journalists 2026: Verify Sources, Images and Claims

Journalists use OSINT to verify public information before publishing. In 2026, misinformation, AI-generated images, fake…

8 hours ago

Install Docker on Ubuntu 20.04: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Docker is an open-source platform that lets you package and run applications inside containers. Each container…

19 hours ago

Install PostgreSQL on Ubuntu: Database Setup and Admin Guide

PostgreSQL (often called Postgres) is an open-source relational database system. It supports advanced features like JSON…

20 hours ago

Install Xrdp Remote Desktop on Ubuntu: Setup and Connect

Xrdp is an open-source server that lets you connect to your Ubuntu machine from another computer…

20 hours ago

Tomcat 9 on Ubuntu 20.04: Install, Configure, and Start

Apache Tomcat is an open-source web server and Java servlet container. It is one of the…

20 hours ago

Automatic Updates on Ubuntu: Set Up unattended-upgrades

Keeping your Ubuntu system updated is one of the best ways to protect it. Security…

21 hours ago