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Acunetix
acunetix.com › blog › articles › introduction-web-shells-part-1
An Introduction to Web Shells (Web Shells Part 1) | Acunetix
January 9, 2024 - Web shells could be written in many web languages, for example, PHP web shells are very common. They can affect you no matter whether your system is based on custom software or on a common content management system such as WordPress with plugins. Web shells might also not get detected by antivirus or anti-malware software because they do not use typical executable file types.
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Invicti
invicti.com › learn › web-shell
Web Shell
Web shells have been widely used in real attacks by multiple threat actors. China Chopper is one of the most well-known examples. This lightweight but powerful tool has been used for years to compromise servers running IIS and other platforms.
People also ask

What is a web shell?
A web shell is a type of web server malware. It is a script uploaded to your web server by an attacker and executed there. The term shell is used to describe a user interface that you use to access services offered by the operating system. Learn how a simple PHP web shell works.
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acunetix.com
acunetix.com › blog › articles › introduction-web-shells-part-1
An Introduction to Web Shells (Web Shells Part 1) | Acunetix
How to discover a web shell?
You can discover web shells manually by regularly analyzing web server logs and files. If you suspect that there is a web shell on your web server, you should filter logs for common keywords used by web shells. Also, monitor network for unusual network traffic and connections (outgoing from your server). Learn more about detecting web shells.
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acunetix.com
acunetix.com › blog › articles › introduction-web-shells-part-1
An Introduction to Web Shells (Web Shells Part 1) | Acunetix
How is a web shell used in an attack?
Web shells are not attacks. Web shells are tools that can be used after a successful attack. If an attacker can upload a file to your server and then run it, they will usually use a web shell. Then, they can continue the attack by running more commands on your web server. Read more about file inclusion, which is a type of an attack that allows the attacker to upload a web shell.
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acunetix.com
acunetix.com › blog › articles › introduction-web-shells-part-1
An Introduction to Web Shells (Web Shells Part 1) | Acunetix
malicious web-based shell-like interface
A web shell is a shell-like interface that facilitates remote access to a web server, commonly exploited for cyberattacks. Unlike traditional shells, it is accessed via a web browser, making it a … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Web_shell
Web shell - Wikipedia
October 4, 2025 - Web shells enable hackers to extract ... employed in cyber espionage targeting sectors like government, finance, and defense. A notable example is the "China Chopper" web shell....
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University of Washington
it.uw.edu › community › infosec-guides-for-technical-staff › web-shells
Web Shells - UW-IT - University of Washington
December 2, 2025 - Unexpected or unusual web requests in logs. For example, a file type generating unexpected or anomalous network traffic, such as a JPG file making requests with POST parameters · Any evidence of suspicious shell commands by the web server process, such as directory traversal
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F5
f5.com › labs › learning-center › web-shells-understanding-attackers-tools-and-techniques
Web Shells: Understanding Attackers’ Tools and Techniques | F5 Labs
July 6, 2023 - As one example, the Clop ransomware group (also known as 'Lace Tempest,' TA505, and FIN11) has used web shells as part of their attack chains in both the Kiteworks Accellion FTA breach1 of 2020 and the plethora of breaches related to Progress ...
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › what-are-web-shells
What are Web Shells? | GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Infecting website users with malware using the watering hole approach, which is a computer attack strategy in which an attacker guesses or observes which websites an organization often visits and infects one or more of them. Brand defacement by modifying files inappropriately. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. To transmit commands within the network that isn't accessible via the Internet. Acting as a command and control base to be used for attacking other external networks. 1. Bind Shell: Bind Shell is a type of shell that is installed on the target device.
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CybelAngel
cybelangel.com › home › blog › web shells: how attackers use them and how to detect them
Web Shells: How Attackers Use Them and How to Detect Them
September 22, 2025 - In short, web shells can quickly turn any vulnerable app into a compromised web server, with devastating consequences. C99 is a classic PHP webshell example that packs a lot of capability into a single script, including:
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Imperva
imperva.com › home › appsec › web shell
What is a Web Shell | Attack Types, Detection & Protection | Imperva
December 20, 2023 - A web shell can serve as a relay ... in a command-and-control infrastructure—for example, a web shell can be used to compromise a host and enlist it into a botnet....
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Invicti
invicti.com › blog › web-security › how-web-shells-work
What is a Web Shell | Attacks, Commands, Detection
October 15, 2020 - For the minimum PHP web shell example provided above, the attacker would send URL-encoded system commands via the query parameter. Assuming a Linux/UNIX system, a typical command to get a list of user names and confirm code execution privileges would be cat /etc/passwd.
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Gigamon Blog
blog.gigamon.com › home › security › what is a web shell? how to detect web shells and protect your web server
What Is a Web Shell? How to Detect Web Shells and Protect Your Web Server
June 5, 2025 - When investigating suspected web shell implants and network traffic, analysts benefit from rapidly testing decryption schemes with the aid of tools such as Cyberchef. The following is an example of analysis of the default Behinder web shell template. Behinder web shell accepts attacker input from HTTP POST requests.
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GitBooks
sushant747.gitbooks.io › total-oscp-guide › content › webshell.html
Webshell · Total OSCP Guide - sushant747
Using weevely we can create php webshells easily. ... <% Dim oS On Error Resume Next Set oS = Server.CreateObject("WSCRIPT.SHELL") Call oS.Run("win.com cmd.exe /c c:\Inetpub\shell443.exe",0,True) %>
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MITRE
attack.mitre.org › techniques › T1505 › 003
Server Software Component: Web Shell, Sub-technique T1505.003 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK&reg;
Adversaries may backdoor web servers with web shells to establish persistent access to systems. A Web shell is a Web script that is placed on an openly accessible Web server to allow an adversary to access the Web server as a gateway into a network.
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Medium
medium.com › @comfysha › web-shells-b1a36f1293b3
Web Shells. What Is a Web Shell? | by Comfysha | Medium
July 9, 2023 - While the above example is perhaps the most minimal web shell that the author could think of, there are quite sophisticated ones available from many sources. Kali Linux, a popular penetration testing distribution, provides fourteen different examples, written in the PHP, perl, jsp, cfm, aspx, and asp languages.
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WP-Content Uploads
secure.wphackedhelp.com › blog › web-shell-php-exploit
Web Shell PHP - Exploit, Examples & Mitigation [2025 Guide]
December 24, 2024 - For example, an exposed administration ... .htaccess & Plugins · The opponents frequently choose web shells such as China Chopper, WSO, C99 and B374K....
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GitHub
github.com › tanjiti › webshellSample
GitHub - tanjiti/webshellSample: webshell sample for WebShell Log Analysis · GitHub
webshell sample for WebShell Log Analysis. Contribute to tanjiti/webshellSample development by creating an account on GitHub.
Starred by 419 users
Forked by 197 users
Languages   PHP 66.6% | Classic ASP 19.4% | ASP.NET 7.5% | Java 6.3% | Hack 0.2%
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Sucuri
blog.sucuri.net › home › web shells: types, mitigation & removal
Web Shells: Types, Mitigation & Removal - Sucuri Blog
4 weeks ago - For example, when the PHP code contains a FilesMan reference: session_start(); $password = ""; $passtype = ""; $color = "#df5"; $default_action = 'FilesMan'; Persistence in web shells refers to their ability to remain active and accessible even ...
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Talos Intelligence
blog.talosintelligence.com › what-is-a-web-shell
What is a web shell?
June 1, 2023 - Attackers will look for vulnerabilities within a system to find the best place (as far as they are concerned) to drop a web shell (or in many cases, multiple shells). Those vulnerabilities might be in a website content management system or an unpatched web server, for example.