| # Attack Surface Analyzer Testing |
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| This directory contains tools for running Attack Surface Analyzer (ASA) tests on PowerShell MSI installations using Docker. |
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| ## Overview |
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| Attack Surface Analyzer is a Microsoft tool that helps analyze changes to a system's attack surface. These scripts allow you to run ASA tests locally in a clean Windows container to analyze what changes when PowerShell is installed. |
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| ## Files |
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| - **Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1** - PowerShell script to run ASA tests with official MSIs |
| - **Summarize-AsaResults.ps1** - PowerShell script to analyze and summarize ASA results |
| - **docker/Dockerfile** - Multi-stage Dockerfile for building a container image with ASA pre-installed |
| - **README.md** - This documentation file |
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| ## Docker Architecture |
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| The Docker implementation uses a multi-stage build to optimize the testing and result extraction process: |
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| ### Multi-Stage Build Stages |
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| 1. **asa-runner**: Main execution environment |
| - Base: `mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:9.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2022` |
| - Contains Attack Surface Analyzer CLI tools |
| - Runs the complete test workflow |
| - Generates reports in both `C:\work` and `C:\reports` directories |
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| 1. **asa-reports**: Minimal results layer |
| - Base: `mcr.microsoft.com/windows/nanoserver:ltsc2022` |
| - Contains only the test reports from the runner stage |
| - Enables clean extraction of results without container internals |
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| 1. **final**: Default stage (inherits from asa-runner) |
| - Provides backward compatibility |
| - Used when no specific build target is specified |
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| ### Benefits |
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| - **Clean Result Extraction**: Reports are isolated in a dedicated layer |
| - **Efficient Transfer**: Only test results are copied, not the entire container filesystem |
| - **Fallback Support**: Script includes fallback to volume-based extraction if needed |
| - **Minimal Footprint**: Final results layer contains only the necessary output files |
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| ## Prerequisites |
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| - Windows 10/11 or Windows Server |
| - Docker Desktop with Windows containers enabled |
| - PowerShell 5.1 or later |
| - **An official signed PowerShell MSI file** from a released build |
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| ### MSI Requirements |
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| **Important:** This tool now requires an official, digitally signed PowerShell MSI from Microsoft releases: |
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| - **Must be signed** by Microsoft Corporation |
| - **Must be from an official release** (downloaded from [PowerShell Releases](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases)) |
| - **Local builds are not supported** - unsigned or development MSIs will be rejected |
| - The script automatically verifies the digital signature before proceeding |
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| **Where to get official MSIs:** |
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| - Download from: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases |
| - Look for files like: `PowerShell-7.x.x-win-x64.msi` |
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| ## Quick Start |
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| ### Option 1: Using the PowerShell Script (Recommended) |
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| The script requires an official signed PowerShell MSI file: |
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| ```powershell |
| # Run ASA test with official MSI (MsiPath is required) |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1 -MsiPath "C:\path\to\PowerShell-7.4.0-win-x64.msi" |
| |
| # Specify custom output directory for results |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1 -MsiPath ".\PowerShell-7.4.0-win-x64.msi" -OutputPath "C:\asa-results" |
| |
| # Keep the temporary work directory for debugging |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1 -MsiPath ".\PowerShell-7.4.0-win-x64.msi" -KeepWorkDirectory |
| ``` |
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| The script will: |
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| 1. **Verify MSI signature** - Ensures the MSI is officially signed by Microsoft Corporation |
| 1. Create a temporary work directory |
| 1. Build a custom Docker container from the static Dockerfile |
| 1. Start the Windows container with Attack Surface Analyzer |
| 1. Take a baseline snapshot |
| 1. Install the PowerShell MSI |
| 1. Take a post-installation snapshot |
| 1. Export comparison results |
| 1. Copy results back to your specified output directory |
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| **Security Note:** The script will reject any MSI that is not digitally signed by Microsoft Corporation to ensure analysis is performed only on official releases. |
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| ### Option 2: Using the Dockerfile |
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| If you prefer to build and use the container image directly: |
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| ```powershell |
| # Build the Docker image (Dockerfile is in docker subfolder with clean context) |
| docker build -f tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\docker\Dockerfile -t powershell-asa-test tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\docker\ |
| |
| # Run the container with your MSI (script is built into the container) |
| docker run --rm --isolation process ` |
| -v "C:\path\to\msi\directory:C:\work" ` |
| powershell-asa-test |
| ``` |
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| ## Output Files |
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| The test will generate output files in the `./asa-results/` directory (or your specified `-OutputPath`): |
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| - **`asa.sqlite`** - SQLite database with full analysis data (primary result file) |
| - **`install.log`** - MSI installation log file |
| - **`*_summary.json.txt`** - Summary of detected changes (if generated) |
| - **`*_results.json.txt`** - Detailed results in JSON format (if generated) |
| - **`*.sarif`** - SARIF format results (if generated, can be viewed in VS Code) |
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| ## Analyzing Results |
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| ### Using the Summary Script (Recommended) |
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| Use the included summary script to get a comprehensive analysis: |
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| ```powershell |
| # Basic summary of ASA results |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Summarize-AsaResults.ps1 |
| |
| # Detailed analysis with rule breakdowns |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Summarize-AsaResults.ps1 -ShowDetails |
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| # Analyze results from a specific location |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Summarize-AsaResults.ps1 -Path "C:\custom\path\asa-results.json" -ShowDetails |
| ``` |
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| The summary script provides: |
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| - **Overall statistics** - Total findings, analysis levels, category breakdowns |
| - **Rule analysis** - Which security rules were triggered and how often |
| - **File analysis** - Detailed breakdown of file-related security issues by rule type |
| - **Category cross-reference** - Shows which rules affect which categories |
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| ### Using VS Code |
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| The SARIF files can be opened directly in VS Code with the SARIF Viewer extension to see a formatted view of the findings. |
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| ### Using PowerShell |
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| ```powershell |
| # Read the JSON results directly |
| $results = Get-Content "asa-results\asa-results.json" | ConvertFrom-Json |
| $results.Results.FILE_CREATED.Count # Number of files created |
| |
| # Query the SQLite database (requires SQLite tools) |
| # Example: List all file changes |
| # sqlite3 asa.sqlite "SELECT * FROM file_system WHERE change_type != 'NONE'" |
| ``` |
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| ## Troubleshooting |
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| ### Docker Not Available |
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| The script automatically handles Docker Desktop installation and startup: |
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| **If Docker Desktop is installed but not running:** |
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| - The script will automatically start Docker Desktop for you |
| - It waits up to 60 seconds for Docker to become available |
| - You'll be prompted for confirmation (supports `-Confirm` and `-WhatIf`) |
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| **If Docker Desktop is not installed:** |
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| - The script will prompt you to install it automatically using winget |
| - After installation completes, start Docker Desktop and run the script again |
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| **Manual Installation:** |
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| 1. Install Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop |
| 1. Ensure Docker is running |
| 1. Switch to Windows containers (right-click Docker tray icon → "Switch to Windows containers") |
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| ### Container Fails to Start |
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| - Ensure you have enough disk space (containers can be large) |
| - Check that Windows containers are enabled in Docker settings |
| - Try pulling the base image manually: `docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:9.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2022` |
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| ### MSI Signature Verification Fails |
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| If you get signature verification errors: |
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| - **Ensure you're using an official MSI** from [PowerShell Releases](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases) |
| - **Do not use local builds** - only signed release MSIs are supported |
| - **Check certificate validity** - very old MSIs may have expired certificates |
| - **Verify file integrity** - redownload the MSI if it may be corrupted |
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| ### No Results Generated |
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| - Check the install.log file for MSI installation errors |
| - Run with `-KeepWorkDirectory` to inspect the temporary work directory |
| - Verify the MSI file is valid and not corrupted |
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| ## Advanced Usage |
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| ### Parameters |
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| The `Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1` script supports these parameters: |
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| - **`-MsiPath`** (Required) - Path to the official signed PowerShell MSI file |
| - **`-OutputPath`** (Optional) - Directory for results (defaults to `./asa-results`) |
| - **`-ContainerImage`** (Optional) - Custom container base image |
| - **`-KeepWorkDirectory`** (Optional) - Keep temp directory for debugging |
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| Example with custom container image: |
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| ```powershell |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1 ` |
| -MsiPath ".\PowerShell-7.4.0-win-x64.msi" ` |
| -ContainerImage "mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2022" |
| ``` |
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| ### Debugging |
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| To debug issues, keep the work directory and examine the files: |
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| ```powershell |
| .\tools\AttackSurfaceAnalyzer\Run-AttackSurfaceAnalyzer.ps1 -KeepWorkDirectory |
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| # The script will print the work directory path |
| # You can then examine: |
| # - run-asa.ps1 - The script that runs in the container |
| # - install.log - MSI installation log |
| # - Any other generated files |
| ``` |
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| ## Integration with CI/CD |
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| These tools were extracted from the GitHub Actions workflow to allow local testing. If you need to integrate ASA testing back into a CI/CD pipeline, you can: |
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| 1. Use the PowerShell script directly in your pipeline |
| 1. Build and push the Docker image to a registry |
| 1. Use the Dockerfile as a base for custom testing scenarios |
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| ## More Information |
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| - [Attack Surface Analyzer on GitHub](https://github.com/microsoft/AttackSurfaceAnalyzer) |
| - [Docker for Windows Documentation](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/windows/) |
| - [SARIF Documentation](https://sarifweb.azurewebsites.net/) |
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