mstsc.exe

  • File Path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mstsc.exe
  • Description: Remote Desktop Connection

Screenshot

mstsc.exe mstsc.exe mstsc.exe

Hashes

Type Hash
MD5 0963C53582277765FC43911C1BA93728
SHA1 57E052280CC778346C7B57C156DF8331C6201177
SHA256 D4967B245CE624C9D15E1563C82C84971ED4085AA9B2DC05B40C7E7F4BE1CAA3
SHA384 BCE4DC214FA5ED8C3D7C5EFE70B22982503A96672EE598EC9B7467F955A79C58CFB5AA8BE1EAB2C628986948478E669A
SHA512 55799D5BF9C2D7D8D17CEC3CE090A6FCE4BA9D4B2B87A5431303764DAA15F999DFB737A221FC675B5EF35B0F0530C723F54DBAE09825C313147DFB4BE1A9D8EA
SSDEEP 24576:FW4cQVPFj5Gu20gp9FbwJKimyj4IznfLhsyxm8m3vSuJpnjq39JM0Yzk/InIdjJ/:FWxQVPFj5Gu2Np9FbwoifPznf1syxm8S

Signature

  • Status: Signature verified.
  • Serial: 330000023241FB59996DCC4DFF000000000232
  • Thumbprint: FF82BC38E1DA5E596DF374C53E3617F7EDA36B06
  • Issuer: CN=Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
  • Subject: CN=Microsoft Windows, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US

File Metadata

  • Original Filename: mstsc.exe.mui
  • Product Name: Microsoft Windows Operating System
  • Company Name: Microsoft Corporation
  • File Version: 10.0.18362.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800)
  • Product Version: 10.0.18362.1
  • Language: English (United States)
  • Legal Copyright: Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Possible Misuse

The following table contains possible examples of mstsc.exe being misused. While mstsc.exe is not inherently malicious, its legitimate functionality can be abused for malicious purposes.

Source Source File Example License
sigma file_event_win_tsclient_filewrite_startup.yml Image\|endswith: '\mstsc.exe' DRL 1.0
sigma net_connection_win_susp_rdp.yml - '\mstsc.exe' DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_mimikatz_command_line.yml - 'mstsc' #ts module DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_mstsc.yml title: Remote Desktop Protocol Use Mstsc DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_mstsc.yml - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/mstsc DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_mstsc.yml Image\|endswith: \mstsc.exe DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_rdp_hijack_shadowing.yml title: MSTSC Shadowing DRL 1.0
sigma proc_creation_win_rdp_hijack_shadowing.yml description: Detects RDP session hijacking by using MSTSC shadowing DRL 1.0
sigma registry_event_mstsc_history_cleared.yml description: Detects the deletion of registry keys containing the MSTSC connection history DRL 1.0
atomic-red-team T1021.001.md mstsc /v:$Server MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary
atomic-red-team T1021.001.md $p=Tasklist /svc /fi “IMAGENAME eq mstsc.exe” /fo csv | convertfrom-csv MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary
signature-base cn_pentestset_tools.yar $s1 = “srv\newclient\lib\win32\obj\i386\mstsc.pdb” fullword ascii CC BY-NC 4.0
signature-base crime_cn_campaign_njrat.yar $a2 = “taskkill /f /im mstsc.exe” fullword ascii CC BY-NC 4.0

Additional Info*

*The information below is copied from MicrosoftDocs, which is maintained by Microsoft. Available under CC BY 4.0 license.


mstsc

Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

Creates connections to Remote Desktop Session Host servers or other remote computers, edits an existing Remote Desktop Connection (.rdp) configuration file, and migrates legacy connection files that were created with Client Connection Manager to new .rdp connection files.

Syntax

mstsc.exe [<connectionfile>] [/v:<server>[:<port>]] [/admin] [/f] [/w:<width> /h:<height>] [/public] [/span]
mstsc.exe /edit <connectionfile>
mstsc.exe /migrate

Parameters

Parameter Description
<connectionfile> Specifies the name of an .rdp file for the connection.
/v:<server>[:<port>] Specifies the remote computer and, optionally, the port number to which you want to connect.
/admin Connects you to a session for administering the server.
/f Starts Remote Desktop Connection in full-screen mode.
/w:<width> Specifies the width of the Remote Desktop window.
/h:<height> Specifies the height of the Remote Desktop window.
/public Runs Remote Desktop in public mode. In public mode, passwords and bitmaps aren’t cached.
/span Matches the Remote Desktop width and height with the local virtual desktop, spanning across multiple monitors if necessary.
/edit <connectionfile> Opens the specified .rdp file for editing.
/migrate Migrates legacy connection files that were created with Client Connection Manager to new .rdp connection files.
/? Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
  • Default.rdp is stored for each user as a hidden file in the user’s Documents folder.

  • User created .rdp files are saved by default in the user’s Documents folder, but can be saved anywhere.

  • To span across monitors, the monitors must use the same resolution and must be aligned horizontally (that is, side-by-side). There is currently no support for spanning multiple monitors vertically on the client system.

Examples

To connect to a session in full-screen mode, type:

mstsc /f

or

mstsc /v:computer1 /f

To assign width/height, type:

mstsc /v:computer1 /w:1920 /h:1080

To open a file called filename.rdp for editing, type:

mstsc /edit filename.rdp

Additional References


MIT License. Copyright (c) 2020-2021 Strontic.