Is this PowerShell script safe?
Paste code before you run it. We'll explain what it does and flag suspicious behavior.
Paste code on the left and press Check Code.
The scanner reports:
- network requests and the hosts they contact
- file reads, writes and deletions
- shell command execution
- code built and executed at runtime
- access to cookies, credentials, clipboard and keystrokes
- persistence, privilege changes and security tool tampering
- encoded payloads and obfuscation
Findings are separated into capabilities (what the code can do) and suspicious behaviour (patterns typical of malicious scripts), because using the network is not the same as stealing data.
Static checks run locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged or stored.
Press Ctrl/Cmd + Enter to check.
How it works
PowerShell one-liners are the most common way Windows machines get compromised, usually as a single line that downloads something and pipes it into Invoke-Expression. Paste the command before you press enter.
- The language is detected from the code, and you can override it in the dropdown.
- JavaScript and TypeScript are parsed into an abstract syntax tree, so function calls, imports and property accesses are matched structurally rather than as text. Python, PowerShell and shell are scanned with rules that first mask comments and string contents. HTML is scanned tag by tag, with inline scripts handed to the JavaScript analyzer.
- Findings are split into capabilities (what the code can do) and suspicious behaviour (patterns typical of malicious code).
- Behaviour chains are evaluated: reading cookies is one thing, reading cookies and posting them to a hardcoded host is another.
- A risk level is assigned, every finding links to its line, and you can optionally ask an AI model to explain the result in prose.
What it detects
- Invoke-WebRequest, Invoke-RestMethod, iwr, irm and Net.WebClient downloads
- download piped directly into Invoke-Expression or iex
- -EncodedCommand and other Base64 command payloads
- backtick-obfuscated cmdlet names such as I`e`x, which exist only to defeat scanners
- registry Run keys, scheduled tasks and services used for persistence
- Set-MpPreference, firewall changes, execution policy bypass and event log clearing
- Get-Credential, ConvertFrom-SecureString and -AsPlainText credential handling
- vssadmin and wbadmin deletion of shadow copies and backups
Privacy: your code stays in your browser
The whole static analysis, including parsing, rule matching and risk scoring, is compiled into the page and runs on your machine. No request is made when you press Check Code, nothing is logged and nothing is stored. The only exception is the optional AI explanation: it is off by default, and when you tick the box the code is sent to the configured AI provider for that single request.
Why we never say "this code is safe"
Nobody can prove a piece of code is harmless by inspecting it. Code can fetch its real payload at runtime, behave differently on another machine, or hide its intent in a dependency you cannot see. So the verdict is always one of four: low apparent risk, potential risk, high risk, or unable to determine. "Low apparent risk" means these particular patterns are absent — nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
- Someone sent me a long Base64 PowerShell command. Is it malware?
- Not automatically, but -EncodedCommand exists to make a command unreadable, and legitimate instructions almost never need it. The checker rates it high risk and tells you to decode and read the payload before running anything.
- Why is -WindowStyle Hidden flagged?
- Hiding the window serves no purpose for a script you are running deliberately. It is there so you do not notice the script running, which is why it is treated as an evasion signal.