PowerShell – Convert PsExec-run Cmdlet Output Strings Back to Objects, Properties, & Values

I have been experimenting with using PsExec of the Sysinternals suite to gather information from remote Windows systems for diagnostic use. I’ve found it to be a powerful tool, especially when integrated with PowerShell scripts. It is able to execute a script or command on a remote machine and return the output back to the shell, and can often do so when PowerShell itself is unable to suffice. However, if the returned output is an object with numerous properties, as so many cmdlets will return, PsExec is not capable of passing objects back to the shell. They will return as a string, and it is desirable to convert them back into usable PowerShell objects for further use.

Because PsExec is able to run on systems that may not have PowerShell remoting, WinRM, or IIS enabled, we can have insight into our machines without further opening them up. This helps maintain the security posture of the environment to a small degree, making it preferential to other options – if only you could return actual usable objects.

Alas, I have created a ConvertTo-Objects script that accepts the string input and will convert it back to usable objects for further use with your script. Execution might look something like this:

$CompInfo = psexec -s -nobanner -h -i \\$ComputerName Powershell.exe -Command "Get-ComputerInfo" 2> $null
$CompInfo = ConvertTo-Objects -inputString $CompInfo

Here is the link to this script on my GitHub: https://github.com/p8nflnt/Infosec-Toolbox/blob/main/ConvertTo-Objects.ps1

And here is the code:

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Convert Property : Value strings back into usable objects
    Intended to compliment use of PsExec utility within PoSH scripts

.NOTES
    Name: ConvertTo-Objects
    Author: Payton Flint
    Version: 1.1
    DateCreated: 2023-Aug

.LINK
    https://paytonflint.com/powershell-convert-psexec-run-cmdlet-output-strings-back-to-objects-properties-values/
    https://github.com/p8nflnt/Infosec-Toolbox/blob/main/Convert-ToObjects.ps1
#>
Function ConvertTo-Objects {
    param (
        $inputString
    )

    # Split the input string into lines
    $lines = $inputString -split "`n"

    # Initialize an empty array to hold objects
    $objects = @()

    # Initialize an empty hashtable to hold property values
    $properties = @{}

    # Iterate through each line and extract property and value using regex
    foreach ($line in $lines) {
        if ($line -match '^(.*?):\s*(.*)$') {
            $property = $matches[1].Trim()
            $value = $matches[2].Trim()

            if ($property -ne '') {
                $properties[$property] = $value
            }
        }
    }

    # If there are properties, create an object and add it to the array
    if ($properties.Count -gt 0) {
        $object = [PSCustomObject]$properties
        $objects += $object
    }

    # Return the resulting objects
    Write-Output $objects
} # End Function ConvertTo-Objects

# Call the function with the input
$Output = ConvertTo-Objects -inputString $input

$Output