ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1112 | Modify Registry | Defense Evasion |
Detection: Windows Defender ASR Registry Modification
Description
The following analytic detects modifications to Windows Defender Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) registry settings. It leverages Windows Defender Operational logs, specifically EventCode 5007, to identify changes in ASR rules. This activity is significant because ASR rules are designed to block actions commonly used by malware to exploit systems. Unauthorized modifications to these settings could indicate an attempt to weaken system defenses. If confirmed malicious, this could allow an attacker to bypass security measures, leading to potential system compromise and data breaches.
Search
1`ms_defender` EventCode IN (5007)
2| rex field=New_Value "0x(?<New_Registry_Value>\\d+)$"
3| rex field=Old_Value "0x(?<Old_Registry_Value>\\d+)$"
4| rex field=New_Value "Rules\\\\(?<ASR_ID>[A-Fa-f0-9\\-]+)\\s*="
5| eval New_Registry_Value=case(New_Registry_Value=="0", "Disabled", New_Registry_Value=="1", "Block", New_Registry_Value=="2", "Audit", New_Registry_Value=="6", "Warn")
6| eval Old_Registry_Value=case(Old_Registry_Value=="0", "Disabled", Old_Registry_Value=="1", "Block", Old_Registry_Value=="2", "Audit", Old_Registry_Value=="6", "Warn")
7| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by host, New_Value, Old_Value, Old_Registry_Value, New_Registry_Value, ASR_ID
8| lookup asr_rules ID AS ASR_ID OUTPUT ASR_Rule
9| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
10| rename host as dest
11| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
12| `windows_defender_asr_registry_modification_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Windows Event Log Defender 5007 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
ms_defender | source="WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational" |
windows_defender_asr_registry_modification_filter | search * |
windows_defender_asr_registry_modification_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 Risk Event | False |
Implementation
The following analytic requires collection of Windows Defender Operational logs in either XML or multi-line. To collect, setup a new input for the Windows Defender Operational logs. In addition, it does require a lookup that maps the ID to ASR Rule name.
Known False Positives
False positives are expected from legitimate applications generating events that are similar to those generated by malicious activity. For example, Event ID 5007 is generated when a process attempts to modify a registry key that is related to ASR rules. This can be triggered by legitimate applications that attempt to modify registry keys that are not blocked by ASR rules.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
ASR registry modification event, $ASR_Rule$, was triggered on $dest$. | 50 | 50 | 100 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational |
xmlwineventlog |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/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: 3