Atlas / Skills / cyberstrikeus / T0871 Execution Through Api

T0871 Execution Through ApiCAUTION

skills/cyberstrikeus/t0871-execution-through-api

Agent skill by cyberstrikeus · agents · ai hacking · ai penetration testing · Audited 2026-10-18

⚑ Report / re-scan Source ↗

Open-source AI-powered offensive security harness for automated penetration testing.

Verdict

CAUTION

Grade

Trust score

89 /100

Version

18.1

Hosts

—

License

AGPL-3.0

Stars

3,185

Overview

Open-source AI-powered offensive security harness for automated penetration testing.

Read from source at commit eaf7d03223fcOBSERVED · 2026-10-18

What it tells the agent

The instruction file, verbatim from the audited commit — this is the text the model reads, and the surface the audit's instruction layer examines. Quoted here so you can judge it without cloning anything.

---
name: "T0871_execution-through-api"
description: "Adversaries may attempt to leverage Application Program Interfaces (APIs) used for communication between control software and the hardware."
category: "input-validation"
version: "18.1"
author: "cyberstrike-official"
tags:
  - mitre-attack
  - ics
  - t0871
  - execution
technique_id: "T0871"
tactic: "execution"
all_tactics:
  - execution
platforms:
  - ICS
mitre_url: "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T0871"
tech_stack:
  - ics
cwe_ids:
  - CWE-94
chains_with: []
prerequisites: []
severity_boost: {}
---

# T0871 Execution through API

## High-Level Description

Adversaries may attempt to leverage Application Program Interfaces (APIs) used for communication between control software and the hardware. Specific functionality is often coded into APIs which can be called by software to engage specific functions on a device or other software.

## Kill Chain Phase

- Execution (TA0104)

**Platforms:** ICS

## What to Check

- [ ] Identify if Execution through API technique is applicable to target ICS environment
- [ ] Check ICS/SCADA systems for indicators of Execution through API
- [ ] Verify mitigations are bypassed or absent (4 known mitigations)
- [ ] Assess detection coverage (1 detection strategies)

## How to Test

### Identify Attack Surface

Determine if the target ICS/SCADA environment is susceptible to Execution through API by examining operational technology systems and network architecture.

### Assess Existing Defenses

Review whether mitigations for T0871 are in place. If defenses are absent or misconfigured, this technique may be exploitable in the ICS environment.

## Remediation Guide

### M0938 Execution Prevention

Minimize the exposure of API calls that allow the execution of code.

### M0800 Authorization Enforcement

All APIs used to perform execution, especially those hosted on embedded controllers (e.g., PLCs), should provide adequate authorization enforcement of user access. Minimize user's access to only required API calls.

### M0804 Human User Authentication

All APIs on remote systems or local processes should require the authentication of users before executing any code or system changes.

### M0801 Access Management

Access Management technologies can be used to enforce authorization policies and decisions, especially when existing field devices do not provide capabilities to support user identification and authentication. These technologies typically utilize an in-line network device or gateway system to prevent access to unauthenticated users, while also integrating with an authentication service to first verify user credentials.

## Detection

### Detection of Execution through API

## Risk Assessment

| Finding                                    | Severity | Impact    |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------- | --------- |
| Execution through API technique applicable | Low      | Execution |

## CWE Categories

| CWE ID | Title                                  |
| ------ | -------------------------------------- |
| CWE-94 | Improper Control of Generation of Code |

## References

- [MITRE ATT&CK ICS - T0871](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T0871)

Trust audit

CAUTIONgrade B · trust 89/100 Install with care. The audit found things worth knowing before you trust its output.

Layer	What it checks	Result
L0	Provenance & inventory	WARN
L1	Static analysis of the code	NA
L2	Instruction surface (what it tells the agent)	PASS
L3	Class-specific surface	PASS
L4	Behavioural (sandbox)	SKIPPED

What the source does

Filesystem: none-observed
Network: none-observed
Shell: none-observed
Dependencies: pinned
Secrets in source: none-found