In today’s ever-evolving threat landscape, the most sophisticated attackers are able to hide their malware in places few would suspect. Take, for example, a legitimate Windows feature, Image File Execution Options (IFEO). This seemingly innocuous tool can be exploited as a stealthy vehicle for persistence, enabling attackers to deeply embed their code within a system, avoid detection, and maintain long-term control.

This script will check the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options

It checks for any entry that enables a Debugger for any executable image. Any findings will be reported as a warning. In most cases, especially on production servers or desktops, there should be no debugger entries. However, in some environments, developers may configure these settings intentionally for testing purposes. All results should be manually reviewed for legitimacy.