ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1003.004 | LSA Secrets | Credential Access |
Detection: Windows LSA Secrets NoLMhash Registry
Description
The following analytic detects modifications to the Windows registry related to the Local Security Authority (LSA) NoLMHash setting. It identifies when the registry value is set to 0, indicating that the system will store passwords in the weaker Lan Manager (LM) hash format. This detection leverages registry activity logs from endpoint data sources like Sysmon or EDR tools. Monitoring this activity is crucial as it can indicate attempts to weaken password storage security. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to exploit weaker LM hashes, potentially leading to unauthorized access and credential theft.
Search
1
2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry WHERE (Registry.registry_path= "*\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\Lsa\\NoLMHash" Registry.registry_value_data = 0x00000000) BY _time span=1h Registry.dest Registry.user Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.process_guid
3| `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)`
4| where isnotnull(registry_value_data)
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
6| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
7| `windows_lsa_secrets_nolmhash_registry_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sysmon EventID 12 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
security_content_ctime | convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$) |
windows_lsa_secrets_nolmhash_registry_filter | search * |
windows_lsa_secrets_nolmhash_registry_filter
is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.
Annotations
Default Configuration
This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:
Setting | Value |
---|---|
Disabled | true |
Cron Schedule | 0 * * * * |
Earliest Time | -70m@m |
Latest Time | -10m@m |
Schedule Window | auto |
Creates Notable | Yes |
Rule Title | %name% |
Rule Description | %description% |
Notable Event Fields | user, dest |
Creates Risk Event | True |
Implementation
To successfully implement this search, you must be ingesting data that records registry activity from your hosts to populate the endpoint data model in the registry node. This is typically populated via endpoint detection-and-response product, such as Carbon Black or endpoint data sources, such as Sysmon. The data used for this search is typically generated via logs that report reads and writes to the registry.
Known False Positives
Administrator may change this registry setting.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
Windows LSA Secrets NoLMhash Registry on $dest$ by $user$. | 64 | 80 | 80 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational |
xmlwineventlog |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational |
xmlwineventlog |
Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py
tool or the UI.
Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range
Source: GitHub | Version: 2