Should you disable PowerShell and Command Prompt? Experts weigh in

Fake CAPTCHAs, malicious software update prompts or error messages, phishing emails, and other deceptive social engineering schemes increasingly rely on tricking users to run harmful commands in PowerShell and Command Prompt (CMD). Disabling them would shut down this key vulnerable point, but security experts are divided.

PowerShell is a powerful scripting tool, able to interact with the operating system and beneficial for system administration. However, hackers have been widely exploiting it to download malicious payloads and manipulate system settings.

Many everyday computer users who only browse the web, stream videos, and check emails might not even know it exists.

“It’s like having a loaded weapon with no training in that the risks far outweigh any potential benefits,” said Jason Wingate, CEO at Emerald Ocean, a consulting business.

We ask cyber pros – if a user doesn’t even know what PowerShell is, do they really need access to it?

Most of them agree that average users should disable PowerShell and CMD. If these tools are never used on a computer legitimately, the security benefits of disabling them outweigh any potential drawbacks. But there are some important caveats.

Complete removal is not possible and wouldn’t be cure-all solution

Nati Tal, Head of Guardio Labs at Guardio, an Israeli cybersecurity company, explains that the PowerShell ecosystem is mandatory in Windows, as many infrastructure services rely on it.

“Completely removing it is not possible – especially if you need to use it for your day-to-day activities,” Tal said. “However, one can harden default user permissions to specifically disallow its usage, making it impossible to accidentally execute malicious PowerShell commands.”

Disabling the tools also “isn’t ever a cure-all,” Nic Adams, Co-Founder and CEO at 0rcus, a cybersecurity firm, says.

Yet Adams suggests it is still beneficial for average users to disable PowerShell and Command Prompt entirely, as they have zero needs for these tools.

“Both are high-velocity attack surfaces abused for payload execution, credential dumping, ransomware staging, and persistence. If you never use PowerShell or CMD for legitimate tasks (no scripting, no admin troubleshooting, no automation), disabling can cut off common malware delivery vectors with near-zero functional loss,” Adams said.

Small businesses should consider disabling PowerShell

While beneficial for family computers, the elderly, and other non-technical users, cyber pros make a strong case for small firms to implement similar restrictions.

“This sort of lockdown makes sense on shared (multiple users) or controlled (specific environments) machines like public library terminals, hospital check-in kiosks, or corporate workstations with strict application needs, etc,” said Vladimirs Romanovskis, IT Support Department Manager at Dyninno Technologies.

Non-technical users on computers – whether at retail POS terminals or corporate workstations – shouldn’t be copy-pasting and executing commands.

“It's best to disable it, because in these types of environments, command-line access serves no legitimate user purpose, and reduces the attack surface significantly,” Romanovskis assures.

And if you need access to these tools — you know that already.

How to disable PowerShell scripts?

Unfortunately, there is no one simple toggle switch, which makes disabling and restoring PowerShell and CMD tools absurdly complicated for casual Windows users.

Disclaimer: These changes can limit access to core system tools and break functionality – always create a restore point before proceeding, be very careful, and use at your own risk.

There are a few ways to achieve a similar result, some easier than others.

The experts strongly recommend Group Policy over PowerShell scripts for disabling these tools, which would be a secure option, surviving reboots and inadvertent user changes. However, this path is also the most complicated, requiring a lot of actions. Windows Central has detailed guides on how to use this method to disable PowerShell and CMD.

Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is not even available by default in Windows Home editions, used by most home users, making using this method even trickier.

Another way is to make a few Registry modifications to implement software restriction policies. Registry stores the most important Windows configurations and user permissions, but this document is not easily accessible, nor easy to navigate or edit.

It’s easier to make changes by doing the same thing we’re trying to avoid ever doing – running a PowerShell script you don’t understand.

“This can be done through the user management system in Windows by setting specific file execution permissions. With this ‘trick,’ you can disable the tool for your specific user account. That way, if you fall for a scam that tricks you into running a PowerShell script, it simply won’t execute,” Tal explains.

Although the expert shared the .reg files that could disable or restore PowerShell, we strongly advise against using online scripts due to potential risks. These scripts may restrict script execution, administrative tasks, and access to essential system utilities. For those still wishing to proceed, refer to Guardio's guide.

What’s the easy solution?

“My recommendation is even simpler. Everyday Windows users should stop using admin privilege accounts for their daily needs. This would block most attacks dead in their tracks and solve 99% of problems malware creates,” Romanovskis suggests an alternative, easy-to-implement route.

“Users having full system control is a dream scenario for malware.”

Romanovskis suggests users just run Windows as standard users and only elevate permissions for installs or scripts they “absolutely trust.”

“Without admin rights, fake prompts or compromised downloads lose their power.”

You can do this by creating a new standard user account through the Settings under Accounts. Then use that account for daily use, and if you need to install software, you will need to “Run as administrator” and enter the admin password.

The problem remains

Even if users disable PowerShell or use a standard account, social engineering schemes can still trick them into entering the admin password or re-enabling these tools.

Bruce Lay, Senior Security Engineer at SecureFlag, agrees that most users never touch PowerShell, yet sticks to the opinion that users should “avoid performing actions you don't fully understand and to learn to recognize the signs of phishing attempts.”

“The real antidote to malware campaigns is education and awareness of phishing techniques. PowerShell is just one of many mediums through which a malware campaign can deliver its payload,” Lay said.

“There are still web browsers and email, for example. If someone is susceptible to using PowerShell commands they do not understand, they are likely susceptible to installing unknown software or programs that could do just as much.”

Therefore, the expert recommends avoiding running any PowerShell script, even if it claims to disable PowerShell or CMD. Attackers read this too and might be tempted to start advertising malicious scripts claiming to secure user computers.

“We strongly recommend adding a real extra layer of security: one that blocks fake CAPTCHA sites and other malicious websites, SMS messages, emails, and more, before you're manipulated into pasting PowerShell code, entering credit card details, and so on,” Tal from Guardio concludes.

Other experts also highlighted the need to use passkeys and multi-factor authentication on all sensitive accounts, deploy reputable security solutions, keep software updated, and focus on education about phishing and social engineering.

Disabling PowerShell and CMD reduces attack surface, however, it should only be part of a more robust security strategy rather than a standalone solution.