EDR: XOR-on-the-wire, DLL via rundll32, Whiskers page, kill-detection fix

Whiskers/src/api/execute.rs

@@ -91,33 +91,69 @@ pub async fn exec(
         // Distinguish if we can; otherwise treat as generic write failure.
         tracing::error!(error = %err, "Failed to write payload");
         let virus_signaled = is_likely_av_block(&err);
-        let resp = if virus_signaled {
+        if virus_signaled {
-            ExecResponse {
+            // 200 OK — the agent successfully detected an AV intercept.
+            // It's a real outcome of the run, not a transport-level error.
+            return Ok(Json(ExecResponse {
                 status: "virus",
                 pid: None,
                 message: Some(format!("Antivirus blocked write: {err}")),
-            }
+            }));
-        } else {
+        }
-            ExecResponse {
+        return Err((StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, Json(ExecResponse {
-                status: "error",
+            status: "error",
-                pid: None,
+            pid: None,
-                message: Some(format!("Failed to write file: {err}")),
+            message: Some(format!("Failed to write file: {err}")),
-            }
+        })));
-        };
-        return Err((StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, Json(resp)));
     }
 
     // Kill any previous run that's still hanging around (defensive — orchestrator
     // should have called kill, but if it didn't, don't leave orphans).
     take_previous_run_for_cleanup(&state).await;
 
-    // Spawn the payload.
+    // Spawn the payload. Windows can't directly exec a `.dll` — those need
-    let mut command = Command::new(&file_path);
+    // to go through `rundll32.exe <dll>,<entry-point> [args...]`. The
-    if let Some(args) = form.executable_args.as_ref() {
+    // entry point is required and comes from `executable_args`; if it's
-        if !args.is_empty() {
+    // missing we bail with a clear error instead of letting Windows
-            command.args(parse_args(args));
+    // return ERROR_BAD_EXE_FORMAT.
+    let is_dll = file_path
+        .extension()
+        .and_then(|s| s.to_str())
+        .map(|s| s.eq_ignore_ascii_case("dll"))
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    let executable_args = form.executable_args.as_deref().unwrap_or("").trim();
+
+    let mut command = if is_dll {
+        if executable_args.is_empty() {
+            tracing::error!("DLL spawn rejected: no entry point provided in executable_args");
+            let _ = tokio::fs::remove_file(&file_path).await;
+            return Err((StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, Json(ExecResponse {
+                status: "error",
+                pid: None,
+                message: Some(
+                    "DLL execution requires an entry point in executable_args \
+                     (rundll32 syntax: <ExportedFunction> [args...])".into(),
+                ),
+            })));
         }
-    }
+        // Split the args: the first token is the export name (becomes
+        // `<dll>,<export>`), everything after is forwarded to rundll32.
+        let mut tokens = executable_args.split_whitespace();
+        let entry = tokens.next().unwrap();   // checked non-empty above
+        let rest: Vec<&str> = tokens.collect();
+        let dll_target = format!("{},{}", file_path.display(), entry);
+        tracing::info!(dll = %file_path.display(), entry, "Spawning DLL via rundll32");
+        let mut c = Command::new("rundll32.exe");
+        c.arg(dll_target);
+        for r in rest { c.arg(r); }
+        c
+    } else {
+        let mut c = Command::new(&file_path);
+        if !executable_args.is_empty() {
+            c.args(parse_args(executable_args));
+        }
+        c
+    };
     command
         .stdin(Stdio::null())
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
@@ -132,20 +168,18 @@ pub async fn exec(
             let virus_signaled = is_likely_av_block(&err);
             // Best-effort cleanup of the dropper.
             let _ = tokio::fs::remove_file(&file_path).await;
-            let resp = if virus_signaled {
+            if virus_signaled {
-                ExecResponse {
+                return Ok(Json(ExecResponse {
                     status: "virus",
                     pid: None,
                     message: Some(format!("Antivirus blocked spawn: {err}")),
-                }
+                }));
-            } else {
+            }
-                ExecResponse {
+            return Err((StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, Json(ExecResponse {
-                    status: "error",
+                status: "error",
-                    pid: None,
+                pid: None,
-                    message: Some(format!("Failed to spawn process: {err}")),
+                message: Some(format!("Failed to spawn process: {err}")),
-                }
+            })));
-            };
-            return Err((StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, Json(resp)));
         }
     };
 

app/analyzers/edr/elastic_client.py

@@ -166,6 +166,14 @@ class ElasticClient:
             # Match alerts touching THIS specific payload across all the
             # places Elastic Defend records the filename. The MD5 prefix
             # in the filename ensures uniqueness across uploads.
+            #
+            # The command-line / args matches are critical for DLL
+            # payloads spawned via rundll32: the running process is
+            # rundll32.exe (so file.name / process.name / file.path /
+            # process.executable all point at the system rundll32),
+            # and the DLL's path only appears inside the command line
+            # (`rundll32.exe <dll-path>,<entry>`). Same pattern for any
+            # other launcher-hosted payload.
             filters.append({"bool": {
                 "minimum_should_match": 1,
                 "should": [
@@ -185,6 +193,14 @@ class ElasticClient:
                         "value": f"*{file_name}",
                         "case_insensitive": True,
                     }}},
+                    {"wildcard": {"process.command_line": {
+                        "value": f"*{file_name}*",
+                        "case_insensitive": True,
+                    }}},
+                    {"wildcard": {"process.args": {
+                        "value": f"*{file_name}*",
+                        "case_insensitive": True,
+                    }}},
                 ],
             }})
 

app/analyzers/edr/elastic_edr_analyzer.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Per-payload flow (matches ROADMAP.md Phase L4):
 
   1. AgentClient.get_info -> learn the EDR VM's hostname
   2. AgentClient.lock_acquire
-  3. AgentClient.exec(payload, args)
+  3. AgentClient.exec(payload, args)  -- XOR-encoded on the wire
   4. wait for exec to exit OR exec_timeout_seconds
   5. AgentClient.kill (idempotent if already exited)
   6. AgentClient.get_execution_logs -> stdout/stderr/exit_code
@@ -17,10 +17,19 @@ Failure model: if the agent is unreachable in step 1, mark the profile
 unavailable and bail. If anything between lock_acquire and lock_release
 fails, the lock is released in `finally` so the agent doesn't get stuck
 in a busy state.
+
+XOR-on-the-wire: every dispatch picks a random byte 0-255, XORs the
+payload with it before multipart upload, and tells Whiskers to reverse
+the XOR while writing byte-by-byte. This avoids leaving an unencrypted
+copy of the payload in HTTP buffers / OS network stacks / the agent's
+request memory — Defender's network inspection on the EDR VM otherwise
+sees the cleartext payload before WriteAsync runs and can flag it
+before our multipart parser even completes.
 """
 
 import logging
 import os
+import secrets
 import time
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import List, Optional
@@ -241,20 +250,27 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
         # Build the phase-1 snapshot the UI shows immediately. It's a
         # complete EDR-result dict with status="polling_alerts" and an
         # empty alerts array; Phase 2 will overwrite it on disk when the
-        # alerts arrive.
+        # alerts arrive. The AV-block-vs-clean-exec distinction lives in
+        # `summary.blocked_by_av` — we don't fork the polling status for
+        # that because the polling itself happens entirely between
+        # LitterBox and Elastic, regardless of what the EDR VM did.
         kind = exec_outcome["kind"]
         is_blocked = (kind == "virus")
-        phase_1_status = "blocked_polling_alerts" if is_blocked else "polling_alerts"
+        phase_1_status = "polling_alerts"
         max_wait = (
             self.profile.av_block_wait_seconds if is_blocked
             else self.profile.wait_seconds_for_alerts
         )
         exec_logs = exec_outcome.get("exec_logs", {})
         # For the AV-block path the process never ran, so kill
-        # classification doesn't apply. For successful spawns we already
+        # classification doesn't apply. For .exe successful spawns we can
-        # know if the EDR terminated it externally — surface it now so
+        # rely on the heuristic in Phase 1; for .dll spawns the heuristic
-        # the operator doesn't have to wait for Phase 2 to see it.
+        # produces false positives (rundll32 exits 1 on bad-export, etc.)
-        killed_by_edr = False if is_blocked else self._classify_kill(exec_logs)
+        # so we defer to Phase 2 which has alert evidence.
+        killed_by_edr = (
+            False if is_blocked
+            else self._classify_kill(exec_logs, filename=filename)
+        )
         raw_exec_status = exec_logs.get("status")
         exec_status_label = (
             "virus" if is_blocked
@@ -284,7 +300,6 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
                 "run_start": run_start.isoformat(),
                 "run_end": None,
                 "wait_seconds_for_alerts": max_wait,
-                "phase": phase_1_status,
                 "blocked_by_av": is_blocked,
             },
         }
@@ -321,13 +336,22 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
         alerts fire in real-time — we don't need to hold the lock through the
         post-exec wait window just to query Elastic afterwards.
         """
-        # Step 3 — exec.
+        # Step 3 — exec. The payload travels XOR-encoded with a random
+        # per-dispatch byte; Whiskers reverses the XOR byte-by-byte while
+        # writing to disk. Avoids cleartext payload sitting in HTTP buffers
+        # where Defender's network inspection might flag it pre-write.
+        # `bytes.translate` is C-implemented; a generator over file_bytes
+        # would take seconds on a 12 MB sample.
+        xor_key = secrets.randbelow(256)
+        xor_table = bytes(b ^ xor_key for b in range(256))
+        xored = file_bytes.translate(xor_table)
         try:
             exec_resp = self.agent.exec(
-                file_bytes=file_bytes,
+                file_bytes=xored,
                 filename=filename,
                 drop_path=self.profile.drop_path,
                 executable_args=executable_args,
+                xor_key=xor_key,
             )
         except AgentUnreachable as exc:
             return {**self._unreachable_result(exc), "_final": True}
@@ -444,6 +468,7 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
         return self._success_result(
             agent_info, outcome["exec_logs"], outcome["pid"],
             run_start, run_end, hostname, alerts,
+            file_name=file_name,
         )
 
     def _poll_alerts(
@@ -526,24 +551,40 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
             time.sleep(poll_interval)
 
     @classmethod
-    def _classify_kill(cls, exec_logs: dict) -> bool:
+    def _classify_kill(
+        cls,
+        exec_logs: dict,
+        *,
+        filename: Optional[str] = None,
+        alerts: Optional[list] = None,
+    ) -> bool:
         """If Whiskers didn't issue a kill and the process didn't exit
-        cleanly, something external terminated it. In a LitterBox dispatch
+        cleanly, something external terminated it. For .exe payloads on
-        the EDR is the only thing on the VM that does that — so we label
+        an EDR-instrumented host, "something external" is overwhelmingly
-        it as a behavior-protection kill.
+        the EDR — the heuristic alone is reliable.
 
-        Edge case: a payload that crashes on its own with a non-zero exit
+        For .dll payloads spawned via rundll32, exit_code != 0 is much
-        code will get the same label. That's an acceptable false positive
+        noisier: GetProcAddress failure on a missing export, DllMain
-        — when you're running suspect binaries on an EDR-instrumented host,
+        returning FALSE, even a malformed DLL all produce non-zero exits
-        a non-zero exit you didn't ask for is overwhelmingly the EDR.
+        with no EDR involvement. So for DLLs we additionally require at
+        least one Elastic alert as evidence before flagging killed_by_edr.
+
+        Phase 1 has no alerts yet, so for DLLs Phase 1 always returns
+        False; Phase 2 re-evaluates after correlation and may flip True.
         """
         raw_status = (exec_logs.get("status") or "").lower()
         if raw_status == "killed":
-            # The agent issued the kill itself (orchestrator timeout). Not
+            # The agent issued the kill itself (orchestrator timeout).
-            # an external termination.
             return False
         exit_code = exec_logs.get("exit_code")
-        return exit_code not in (0, None)
+        if exit_code in (0, None):
+            return False
+
+        is_dll = bool(filename and filename.lower().endswith(".dll"))
+        if is_dll:
+            # DLL exit codes are unreliable — require alert evidence.
+            return bool(alerts)
+        return True
 
     def _success_result(
         self,
@@ -554,10 +595,15 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
         run_end: datetime,
         hostname: str,
         alerts: List[Alert],
+        file_name: Optional[str] = None,
     ) -> dict:
         alert_dicts = [a.to_dict() for a in alerts]
         high_severity_count = sum(1 for a in alerts if a.severity in HIGH_SEVERITY)
-        killed_by_edr = self._classify_kill(exec_logs)
+        # Phase 2 has alerts in hand — feed them in so the .dll-via-rundll32
+        # case can confirm killed_by_edr only when alerts back it up.
+        killed_by_edr = self._classify_kill(
+            exec_logs, filename=file_name, alerts=alerts,
+        )
         # Surface "killed_by_edr" as the user-facing exec_status when we
         # have evidence — the raw "exited" label is technically right but
         # actively misleading when behavior protection was the cause.
@@ -584,6 +630,7 @@ class ElasticEdrAnalyzer(BaseAnalyzer):
                 "total_alerts": len(alert_dicts),
                 "high_severity_alerts": high_severity_count,
                 "killed_by_edr": killed_by_edr,
+                "blocked_by_av": False,
                 "run_start": run_start.isoformat(),
                 "run_end": run_end.isoformat(),
                 "wait_seconds_for_alerts": self.profile.wait_seconds_for_alerts,

app/analyzers/edr/registry.py

@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ def dispatch_split(
     payload_path: str,
     config: dict,
     on_phase_2_done: Callable[[dict], None],
+    executable_args: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """Split-phase dispatch.
 
@@ -103,6 +104,10 @@ def dispatch_split(
     is called with the final findings dict. The callback is responsible
     for persisting the updated result.
 
+    `executable_args` is forwarded to the agent's exec endpoint as a
+    single space-separated string. For DLL payloads the first token is
+    the exported entry point (rundll32 wraps it server-side).
+
     Phase 2 errors are swallowed and surfaced to the callback as a
     `status: 'error'` dict — the thread never raises into nothing.
     """
@@ -111,7 +116,7 @@ def dispatch_split(
         raise KeyError(f"unknown EDR profile: {profile_name!r}")
 
     analyzer = ElasticEdrAnalyzer(config, profile)
-    phase_1, continuation = analyzer.run_exec(payload_path)
+    phase_1, continuation = analyzer.run_exec(payload_path, executable_args)
 
     if continuation is None:
         # Terminal failure (busy, agent unreachable, missing file, etc.) —

app/analyzers/manager.py

@@ -251,7 +251,14 @@ class AnalysisManager:
 
         self.logger.debug("Initializing RedEdr analyzer")
         try:
-            target_name = target.split('\\')[-1]
+            # For DLL targets we spawn `rundll32.exe <dll>,<entry>` — the
+            # actual running process is rundll32, not the DLL. RedEdr's
+            # --trace filter takes a process name, so point it at
+            # rundll32.exe to capture ETW from the DLL's host process.
+            if target.lower().endswith('.dll'):
+                target_name = 'rundll32.exe'
+            else:
+                target_name = target.split('\\')[-1]
             rededr = RedEdrAnalyzer(self.config)
             if not rededr.start_tool(target_name):
                 self.logger.error("Failed to start RedEdr")
@@ -389,12 +396,28 @@ class AnalysisManager:
             raise Exception(f"Invalid or non-existent PID: {e}")
 
     def _create_new_process(self, target: str, cmd_args: list) -> Tuple[subprocess.Popen, int]:
-        """Create and validate new process"""
+        """Create and validate new process. DLL targets are wrapped with
-        command = [target]
+        rundll32.exe — Windows can't directly Popen a .dll, and the
-        if cmd_args:
+        operator's first cmd_arg is treated as the exported entry point
-            command.extend(cmd_args)
+        (mandatory for DLLs)."""
-            
+        if target.lower().endswith('.dll'):
-        self.logger.debug(f"Starting new process: {command}")
+            if not cmd_args:
+                raise Exception(
+                    "DLL execution requires an entry point as the first "
+                    "command-line argument (rundll32 syntax: <ExportName> "
+                    "[args...])"
+                )
+            entry, *extra = cmd_args
+            # rundll32.exe expects: <dll>,<entry> [args...]
+            # The dll path and entry name are joined with a comma into a
+            # single argv slot so rundll32 parses them as one target spec.
+            command = ['rundll32.exe', f'{target},{entry}', *extra]
+            self.logger.debug(f"DLL target — wrapping with rundll32: {command}")
+        else:
+            command = [target]
+            if cmd_args:
+                command.extend(cmd_args)
+            self.logger.debug(f"Starting new process: {command}")
         
         startupinfo = subprocess.STARTUPINFO()
         startupinfo.dwFlags |= subprocess.STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW

app/blueprints/analysis.py

@@ -166,6 +166,18 @@ def _handle_analysis_results(results, result_path, results_filename):
     return jsonify({'status': 'success', 'results': results})
 
 
+@analysis_bp.route('/whiskers', methods=['GET'])
+def whiskers_page():
+    """Render the Whiskers (EDR agents) inventory page. Live status data
+    is fetched async by the page's JS via /api/edr/agents/status."""
+    deps = current_app.extensions['litterbox']
+    return render_template(
+        'agents.html',
+        config=current_app.config,
+        edr_profiles=deps.edr_registry.list_profiles(),
+    )
+
+
 @analysis_bp.route('/analyze/edr/<profile>/<target>', methods=['GET', 'POST'])
 @error_handler
 def analyze_edr(profile, target):
@@ -205,7 +217,17 @@ def analyze_edr(profile, target):
         app.logger.warning(f"Result path not found for hash: {target}")
         return jsonify({'error': 'Result path not found'}), 404
 
-    app.logger.debug(f"Dispatching to EDR profile {profile!r} with payload {file_path}")
+    # Pull cmd args from the POST body (validated/sanitized like the
+    # dynamic-analysis route does) and join into the single string
+    # AgentClient.exec expects. For DLL targets the first token is the
+    # exported entry point — Whiskers wraps with rundll32 server-side.
+    cmd_args = _extract_and_validate_args(request, app.logger)
+    executable_args = ' '.join(cmd_args) if cmd_args else None
+
+    app.logger.debug(
+        f"Dispatching to EDR profile {profile!r} with payload {file_path} "
+        f"args={executable_args!r}"
+    )
     results_filename = f'edr_{profile}_results.json'
 
     # Phase 2 callback — runs on a background thread when alerts arrive.
@@ -232,7 +254,8 @@ def analyze_edr(profile, target):
 
     try:
         results = deps.edr_registry.dispatch_split(
-            profile, file_path, app.config, _on_phase_2_done
+            profile, file_path, app.config, _on_phase_2_done,
+            executable_args=executable_args,
         )
     except Exception as e:
         app.logger.error(f"EDR dispatch failed: {e}", exc_info=True)

app/blueprints/api.py

@@ -111,6 +111,80 @@ def api_edr_profiles():
     return jsonify({'profiles': deps.edr_registry.list_profiles()})
 
 
+@api_bp.route('/api/edr/agents/status', methods=['GET'])
+@error_handler
+def api_edr_agents_status():
+    """Live probe of every registered EDR profile.
+
+    For each profile we hit the agent's /api/info + /api/lock/status and
+    the Elastic stack's `GET /` ping in parallel. Each probe is bounded
+    by a tight timeout so an unreachable agent doesn't stall the whole
+    page. Used by /whiskers to render the inventory + live status.
+    """
+    from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+    from ..analyzers.edr.agent_client import AgentClient, AgentError, AgentUnreachable
+    from ..analyzers.edr.elastic_client import ElasticClient, ElasticError, ElasticUnreachable
+
+    deps = _deps()
+    profiles = list(deps.edr_registry._PROFILES.values())  # internal accessor — same module
+
+    def probe(p):
+        agent = AgentClient(p.agent_url, timeout=4)
+        elastic = ElasticClient(
+            p.elastic_url, p.elastic_apikey,
+            verify_tls=p.elastic_verify_tls, timeout=5,
+        )
+        agent_info, agent_err, lock = None, None, None
+        try:
+            agent_info = agent.get_info()
+            try:
+                lock = agent.lock_status()
+            except (AgentUnreachable, AgentError):
+                pass
+        except AgentUnreachable as e:
+            agent_err = f"unreachable: {e}"
+        except AgentError as e:
+            agent_err = f"error: {e}"
+
+        elastic_info, elastic_err = None, None
+        try:
+            elastic_info = elastic.ping()
+        except ElasticUnreachable as e:
+            elastic_err = f"unreachable: {e}"
+        except ElasticError as e:
+            elastic_err = f"error: {e}"
+
+        return {
+            "name": p.name,
+            "display_name": p.display_name,
+            "type": "elastic-defend",
+            "agent_url": p.agent_url,
+            "elastic_url": p.elastic_url,
+            "agent": {
+                "reachable": agent_info is not None,
+                "error": agent_err,
+                "hostname": (agent_info or {}).get("hostname"),
+                "os_version": (agent_info or {}).get("os_version"),
+                "agent_version": (agent_info or {}).get("agent_version"),
+            },
+            "lock": lock,
+            "elastic": {
+                "reachable": elastic_info is not None,
+                "error": elastic_err,
+                "cluster_name": (elastic_info or {}).get("cluster_name"),
+                "version": ((elastic_info or {}).get("version") or {}).get("number"),
+            },
+        }
+
+    if not profiles:
+        return jsonify({"agents": []})
+
+    # Probe in parallel — total wall time is the slowest probe, not sum of all.
+    with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=min(8, len(profiles))) as pool:
+        results = list(pool.map(probe, profiles))
+    return jsonify({"agents": results})
+
+
 @api_bp.route('/api/results/<target>/edr/<profile>', methods=['GET'])
 @error_handler
 def api_edr_results(target, profile):

app/static/js/agents/core.js

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+// app/static/js/agents/core.js
+//
+// Drives the /agents inventory page. Hits /api/edr/agents/status to probe
+// each registered EDR profile in parallel (server-side ThreadPool), then
+// fills the per-card status fields. Refreshes every 15s; the manual
+// Refresh button forces an immediate poll.
+
+const REFRESH_MS = 60000;
+let _refreshTimer = null;
+let _inFlight = false;
+
+function setText(id, text) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (el) el.textContent = text;
+}
+
+function setColor(id, color) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (el) el.style.color = color;
+}
+
+function setDot(profile, kind /* 'ok' | 'down' | 'partial' | 'unknown' */, title) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(`agentDot-${profile}`);
+    if (!el) return;
+    el.className = `lb-agent-dot lb-agent-dot--${kind}`;
+    if (title) el.title = title;
+}
+
+function applyStatus(agent) {
+    const p = agent.name;
+
+    // Type badge — for now everything is `elastic-defend`, but the field
+    // is server-driven so future agent types render automatically.
+    setText(`agentType-${p}`, agent.type || 'unknown');
+
+    const a = agent.agent || {};
+    const e = agent.elastic || {};
+
+    // Aggregate dot: green if both sides reachable, yellow if only one,
+    // red if neither.
+    const reachable = (a.reachable ? 1 : 0) + (e.reachable ? 1 : 0);
+    if (reachable === 2)      setDot(p, 'ok', 'Agent + Elastic reachable');
+    else if (reachable === 1) setDot(p, 'partial', 'Partial — see status fields');
+    else                       setDot(p, 'down', 'Agent + Elastic unreachable');
+
+    // Agent side
+    if (a.reachable) {
+        setText(`agentStatus-${p}`, 'Online');
+        setColor(`agentStatus-${p}`, 'var(--lb-sev-low)');
+        setText(`agentHostname-${p}`, a.hostname || '—');
+        setText(`agentOs-${p}`,       a.os_version || '—');
+        setText(`agentVersion-${p}`,  a.agent_version || '—');
+    } else {
+        setText(`agentStatus-${p}`, 'Offline');
+        setColor(`agentStatus-${p}`, 'var(--lb-accent-soft)');
+        setText(`agentHostname-${p}`, '—');
+        setText(`agentOs-${p}`,       '—');
+        setText(`agentVersion-${p}`,  '—');
+    }
+
+    // Lock
+    if (agent.lock) {
+        const inUse = !!agent.lock.in_use;
+        setText(`agentLock-${p}`, inUse ? 'Busy (run in progress)' : 'Idle');
+        setColor(`agentLock-${p}`, inUse ? 'var(--lb-sev-medium)' : 'var(--lb-sev-low)');
+    } else {
+        setText(`agentLock-${p}`, '—');
+        setColor(`agentLock-${p}`, 'var(--lb-text-mute)');
+    }
+
+    // Elastic side
+    if (e.reachable) {
+        const v = e.version ? ` v${e.version}` : '';
+        setText(`agentElastic-${p}`, `Reachable${v}`);
+        setColor(`agentElastic-${p}`, 'var(--lb-sev-low)');
+        setText(`agentCluster-${p}`, e.cluster_name || '—');
+    } else {
+        setText(`agentElastic-${p}`, 'Unreachable');
+        setColor(`agentElastic-${p}`, 'var(--lb-accent-soft)');
+        setText(`agentCluster-${p}`, '—');
+    }
+
+    // Combined error block (shows if anything failed)
+    const errEl = document.getElementById(`agentError-${p}`);
+    if (errEl) {
+        const errs = [];
+        if (a.error) errs.push(`Agent: ${a.error}`);
+        if (e.error) errs.push(`Elastic: ${e.error}`);
+        if (errs.length) {
+            errEl.textContent = errs.join('  ·  ');
+            errEl.classList.remove('hidden');
+        } else {
+            errEl.classList.add('hidden');
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async function refreshAgents() {
+    if (_inFlight) return;
+    _inFlight = true;
+    const btn = document.getElementById('agentsRefreshBtn');
+    if (btn) btn.disabled = true;
+
+    try {
+        const resp = await fetch('/api/edr/agents/status', { cache: 'no-store' });
+        if (!resp.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${resp.status}`);
+        const data = await resp.json();
+        for (const agent of (data.agents || [])) applyStatus(agent);
+    } catch (err) {
+        console.error('[agents] refresh failed:', err);
+    } finally {
+        _inFlight = false;
+        if (btn) btn.disabled = false;
+    }
+}
+
+// Expose for the inline onclick on the Refresh button.
+window.refreshAgents = refreshAgents;
+
+document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
+    refreshAgents();
+    _refreshTimer = setInterval(refreshAgents, REFRESH_MS);
+});
+
+window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
+    if (_refreshTimer) clearInterval(_refreshTimer);
+});

app/static/js/results/core.js

@@ -124,10 +124,8 @@ class AnalysisCore {
             // the duration timer running and don't flip the status to
             // "Analysis completed". The EDR poll handler will stop the
             // timer + flip status when Phase 2 lands a terminal result.
-            const edrPolling = !!(data.results && data.results.edr && (
+            const edrPolling = !!(data.results && data.results.edr &&
-                data.results.edr.status === 'polling_alerts' ||
+                data.results.edr.status === 'polling_alerts');
-                data.results.edr.status === 'blocked_polling_alerts'
-            ));
 
             this.updateTimer();
             if (!edrPolling) {

app/static/js/results/tools/edr.js

@@ -4,15 +4,18 @@
 //
 // The orchestrator runs in two phases:
 //   Phase 1 (exec)        — sync over HTTP; returns when the agent finishes
-//                          spawning the payload (success or AV block)
+//                          spawning the payload (success or EDR block)
 //   Phase 2 (correlation) — async on the server (background thread);
 //                          polls Elastic for alerts, overwrites the saved
 //                          findings JSON when done.
 //
 // On the initial POST response we render whatever Phase 1 produced. If
-// the status is `polling_alerts` or `blocked_polling_alerts`, we kick
+// the status is `polling_alerts`, we kick off a foreground poll of GET
-// off a foreground poll of GET /api/results/<hash>/edr/<profile> so the
+// /api/results/<hash>/edr/<profile> so the alerts pane and summary chip
-// alerts pane and summary chip reflect Phase 2 progress in real time.
+// reflect Phase 2 progress in real time. The block-vs-clean-exec
+// distinction is carried in `summary.blocked_by_av` — Phase 2 doesn't
+// fork its status on it because the polling itself is purely between
+// LitterBox and Elastic, regardless of what the EDR VM did.
 //
 // Targets:
 //   - #edrSummary           (summary tab)
@@ -25,7 +28,7 @@ import { errorPanel, cleanState, threatState, statRow, panel, kvGrid, codeBlock,
 import summaryTool from './summary.js';
 
 const HIGH_SEVERITY = new Set(['high', 'critical']);
-const POLLING_STATUSES = new Set(['polling_alerts', 'blocked_polling_alerts']);
+const POLLING_STATUS = 'polling_alerts';
 const POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 3000;
 
 // Module-level handle so a re-render with a new payload aborts the old
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ function clearPoll() {
 }
 
 function isPolling(results) {
-    return POLLING_STATUSES.has(results?.status);
+    return results?.status === POLLING_STATUS;
 }
 
 function severityRank(s) {
@@ -110,8 +113,7 @@ function renderAlerts(results) {
     // the stat chip stays the same width as the numeric ones beside it.
     const STATUS_LABELS = {
         'completed':                'Completed',
-        'blocked_by_av':            'AV Block',
+        'blocked_by_av':            'EDR Block',
-        'blocked_polling_alerts':   'AV Block',
         'polling_alerts':           'Polling…',
         'partial':                  'Partial',
         'busy':                     'Busy',
@@ -122,7 +124,7 @@ function renderAlerts(results) {
     const statusSeverity = (
         status === 'completed' && totalAlerts === 0 ? 'clean' :
         status === 'completed' ? 'critical' :
-        status === 'blocked_by_av' || status === 'blocked_polling_alerts' ? 'critical' :
+        status === 'blocked_by_av' ? 'critical' :
         status === 'polling_alerts' ? 'info' :
         status === 'partial' ? 'medium' :
         'critical'
@@ -158,8 +160,8 @@ function renderAlerts(results) {
         // Phase 2 in flight on the server — show a busy indicator in the
         // alerts pane until the next poll updates this state.
         const max = summary.wait_seconds_for_alerts || '?';
-        const blockedHint = status === 'blocked_polling_alerts'
+        const blockedHint = summary.blocked_by_av
-            ? ' The AV blocked the spawn; we are correlating against the prevention alert.'
+            ? ' The EDR blocked the spawn; we are correlating against the prevention alert.'
             : '';
         target.innerHTML = `
             <div class="lb-empty" style="flex-direction: column; padding: 24px 16px; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-start;">

app/static/js/results/tools/summary.js

@@ -159,10 +159,10 @@ export default {
             else if (status === 'busy')                 { detail = 'Agent busy with another run'; isFailureState = true; }
             else if (status === 'partial')              { detail = 'Run completed but Elastic query failed'; isFailureState = true; }
             else if (status === 'error')                { detail = `Error: ${r.error || 'unknown'}`; isFailureState = true; }
+            else if (status === 'polling_alerts' && summary.blocked_by_av) { detail = 'EDR blocked spawn — correlating alerts…'; isPolling = true; }
             else if (status === 'polling_alerts' && killedByEdr) { detail = 'Killed by EDR — correlating alerts…'; isPolling = true; }
             else if (status === 'polling_alerts')       { detail = 'Exec finished — correlating alerts…'; isPolling = true; }
-            else if (status === 'blocked_polling_alerts'){ detail = 'AV blocked spawn — correlating alerts…'; isPolling = true; }
+            else if (status === 'blocked_by_av')        detail = 'Blocked by EDR before execution';
-            else if (status === 'blocked_by_av')        detail = 'Blocked by AV before execution';
             else if (killedByEdr && totalAlerts > 0)    detail = `Killed by EDR · ${totalAlerts} alert${totalAlerts === 1 ? '' : 's'} raised`;
             else if (totalAlerts > 0)                   detail = `${totalAlerts} alert${totalAlerts === 1 ? '' : 's'} raised`;
             else                                        detail = 'No alerts raised';
@@ -178,10 +178,7 @@ export default {
         // poll window haven't finished correlating yet — show that
         // explicitly instead of a misleading "Clean" green when the
         // count happens to be 0.
-        const edrPolling = !!(results.edr && (
+        const edrPolling = !!(results.edr && results.edr.status === 'polling_alerts');
-            results.edr.status === 'polling_alerts' ||
-            results.edr.status === 'blocked_polling_alerts'
-        ));
         const totalEl = document.getElementById('totalDetections');
         const overEl  = document.getElementById('overallStatus');
         if (totalEl) totalEl.textContent = totalDetections;

app/static/js/upload/core.js

@@ -668,9 +668,15 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
                 // Navigate to dynamic analysis
                 window.location.href = `/analyze/${type}/${currentFileHash}`;
             } else if (type.startsWith('edr:')) {
-                // EDR profile dispatch: type is "edr:<profile_name>"
+                // EDR profile dispatch: type is "edr:<profile_name>".
-                // Server-side route is /analyze/edr/<profile>/<hash>.
+                // Each profile body has its own args input (id =
+                // edrArgs-<profile>); read it, persist to localStorage so
+                // the results page's POST forwards it to Whiskers.
                 const profile = type.slice(4);
+                const argsInput = document.getElementById(`edrArgs-${profile}`);
+                const argsValue = argsInput ? argsInput.value : '';
+                const args = argsValue.split(' ').filter(arg => arg.trim() !== '');
+                localStorage.setItem('analysisArgs', JSON.stringify(args));
                 window.location.href = `/analyze/edr/${encodeURIComponent(profile)}/${currentFileHash}`;
             } else {
                 // Navigate to static analysis

app/templates/agents.html

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+{% extends "base.html" %}
+
+{% block breadcrumb %}Whiskers{% endblock %}
+
+{% set active_nav = 'whiskers' %}
+
+{% block content %}
+
+{% if not edr_profiles %}
+<!-- No profiles registered — point the operator at the docs. -->
+<div class="lb-panel">
+    <div class="lb-panel-hdr"><span class="lb-glyph">▸</span>Agents</div>
+    <div class="lb-panel-body">
+        <div class="lb-empty" style="flex-direction: column; padding: 24px; gap: 8px;">
+            <div class="lb-strong">No EDR profiles registered</div>
+            <div class="lb-muted" style="font-size: 12px; text-align: center; max-width: 600px;">
+                Drop a YAML at <span class="lb-mono">Config/edr_profiles/&lt;name&gt;.yml</span>
+                (copy from <span class="lb-mono">elastic.yml.example</span>) and restart LitterBox.
+                See the <span class="lb-mono">README.md</span> "Elastic EDR Setup" section
+                for the full deployment guide.
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>
+{% else %}
+
+<div class="lb-panel">
+    <div class="lb-panel-hdr">
+        <span class="lb-glyph">▸</span>EDR Agents
+        <span id="agentsCount" class="lb-tag muted" style="margin-left: 12px;">{{ edr_profiles|length }} registered</span>
+        <button id="agentsRefreshBtn" onclick="refreshAgents()" class="lb-btn lb-btn-ghost"
+                style="margin-left: auto; padding: 2px 10px; font-size: 12px;">
+            <svg width="14" height="14" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5"
+                      d="M4 4v6h6M20 20v-6h-6M4 10a8 8 0 0114-5M20 14a8 8 0 01-14 5"/>
+            </svg>
+            Refresh
+        </button>
+    </div>
+    <div class="lb-panel-body">
+        <p class="lb-muted" style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0 0 4px 0;">
+            One card per profile registered under
+            <span class="lb-mono">Config/edr_profiles/</span>. The Whiskers agent + Elastic stack
+            are probed in parallel; status refreshes every minute.
+        </p>
+    </div>
+</div>
+
+<div id="agentsGrid" class="lb-grid-2" style="margin-top: 12px;">
+    {% for profile in edr_profiles %}
+    <div class="lb-agent-card" data-profile="{{ profile.name }}">
+        <div class="lb-agent-card-hdr">
+            <div class="lb-agent-card-title">
+                <span id="agentDot-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-agent-dot lb-agent-dot--unknown" title="Probing…"></span>
+                <span class="lb-strong" style="font-size: 14px;">{{ profile.display_name }}</span>
+                <span class="lb-tag info" style="margin-left: 8px;">EDR Agent</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-muted" style="font-size: 11px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.1em;">
+                <span id="agentType-{{ profile.name }}">elastic-defend</span>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+        <div class="lb-agent-card-body">
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Status</span>
+                <span id="agentStatus-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-muted">Probing…</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Hostname</span>
+                <span id="agentHostname-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-mono lb-muted">—</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">OS</span>
+                <span id="agentOs-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-mono lb-muted">—</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Agent Version</span>
+                <span id="agentVersion-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-mono lb-muted">—</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Lock</span>
+                <span id="agentLock-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-muted">—</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Agent URL</span>
+                <span class="lb-mono" style="font-size: 11px;">{{ profile.agent_url }}</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-divider"></div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Elastic</span>
+                <span id="agentElastic-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-muted">Probing…</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Cluster</span>
+                <span id="agentCluster-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-mono lb-muted">—</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="lb-agent-row">
+                <span class="lb-eyebrow">Elastic URL</span>
+                <span class="lb-mono" style="font-size: 11px; word-break: break-all;">{{ profile.elastic_url }}</span>
+            </div>
+            <div id="agentError-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-agent-error hidden"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+    {% endfor %}
+</div>
+
+<style>
+.lb-agent-card {
+    display: flex; flex-direction: column;
+    border: 1px solid var(--lb-border-hi);
+    background: var(--lb-panel);
+}
+.lb-agent-card-hdr {
+    display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between;
+    gap: 12px;
+    padding: 10px 14px;
+    background: var(--lb-bg-soft);
+    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--lb-border);
+}
+.lb-agent-card-title { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; }
+.lb-agent-card-body {
+    display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 6px;
+    padding: 12px 14px;
+}
+.lb-agent-row {
+    display: flex; align-items: baseline; justify-content: space-between;
+    gap: 12px; min-height: 18px;
+}
+.lb-agent-row .lb-eyebrow { flex: 0 0 auto; }
+.lb-agent-row > :last-child {
+    text-align: right; font-size: 12px; word-break: break-all;
+}
+.lb-agent-divider {
+    border-top: 1px solid var(--lb-border);
+    margin: 4px -14px;
+}
+.lb-agent-dot {
+    display: inline-block; width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.lb-agent-dot--ok      { background: var(--lb-sev-low); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(74, 222, 128, 0.12); }
+.lb-agent-dot--down    { background: var(--lb-accent); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(248, 113, 113, 0.12); }
+.lb-agent-dot--partial { background: var(--lb-sev-medium); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(250, 204, 21, 0.12); }
+.lb-agent-dot--unknown { background: var(--lb-text-mute); }
+.lb-agent-error {
+    margin-top: 6px; padding: 8px 10px;
+    background: rgba(248, 113, 113, 0.06);
+    border-left: 2px solid var(--lb-accent);
+    font-size: 11px; color: var(--lb-accent-soft);
+    word-break: break-all;
+}
+</style>
+
+{% endif %}
+
+{% endblock %}
+
+{% block scripts %}
+<script type="module" src="{{ url_for('static', filename='js/agents/core.js') }}"></script>
+{% endblock %}

app/templates/base.html

@@ -89,6 +89,14 @@
                     <span class="lb-nav-text">Summary</span>
                 </button>
 
+                <a href="/whiskers" class="lb-nav-item{% if active_nav == 'whiskers' %} active{% endif %}">
+                    <svg fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                        <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M9 17a4 4 0 008 0M5 17a8 8 0 0116 0H5z"/>
+                        <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M12 13V3M9 6l3-3 3 3"/>
+                    </svg>
+                    <span class="lb-nav-text">Whiskers</span>
+                </a>
+
                 <button onclick="cleanupSystem()" class="lb-nav-item">
                     <svg fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
                         <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M19 7l-.867 12.142A2 2 0 0116.138 21H7.862a2 2 0 01-1.995-1.858L5 7m5 4v6m4-6v6m1-10V4a1 1 0 00-1-1h-4a1 1 0 00-1 1v3M4 7h16"/>

app/templates/upload.html

@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
                 <div id="argsInputContainer">
                     <label for="analysisArgs" class="lb-eyebrow" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 6px;">Command-line Arguments</label>
                     <input type="text" id="analysisArgs" placeholder="Enter arguments separated by spaces" class="lb-input lb-mono"/>
-                    <p class="lb-muted" style="margin-top: 6px; font-size: 12px;">Arguments passed to the payload at execution time.</p>
+                    <p class="lb-muted" style="margin-top: 6px; font-size: 12px;">Arguments passed to the payload at execution time. <span class="lb-strong">For DLL files</span> the first argument is the exported entry point (e.g. <span class="lb-mono">DllMain</span>) — passed to <span class="lb-mono">rundll32.exe</span>.</p>
                 </div>
                 <button type="button" onclick="selectAnalysisType('dynamic')" class="lb-mode-cta">
                     Run Dynamic Scan
@@ -154,6 +154,12 @@
                     <li class="lb-ok">EDR Alert Correlation</li>
                     <li class="lb-ok">Execution Log Capture</li>
                 </ul>
+                <div class="edr-args-container">
+                    <label for="edrArgs-{{ profile.name }}" class="lb-eyebrow" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 6px;">Command-line Arguments</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edrArgs-{{ profile.name }}" data-edr-args="{{ profile.name }}"
+                           placeholder="Enter arguments separated by spaces" class="lb-input lb-mono"/>
+                    <p class="lb-muted" style="margin-top: 6px; font-size: 12px;">Forwarded to the spawned process on the EDR VM. <span class="lb-strong">For DLL files</span> the first argument is the exported entry point (e.g. <span class="lb-mono">DllMain</span>) — passed to <span class="lb-mono">rundll32.exe</span>.</p>
+                </div>
                 <button type="button" onclick="selectAnalysisType('edr:{{ profile.name }}')" class="lb-mode-cta">
                     Run with {{ profile.display_name }}
                     <svg width="12" height="12" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M9 5l7 7-7 7"/></svg>