Detection rules › Sigma
Windows Event Auditing Disabled
Detects scenarios where system auditing (i.e.: Windows event log auditing) is disabled. This may be used in a scenario where an entity would want to bypass local logging to evade detection when Windows event logging is enabled and reviewed. Also, it is recommended to turn off "Local Group Policy Object Processing" via GPO, which will make sure that Active Directory GPOs take precedence over local/edited computer policies via something such as "gpedit.msc". Please note, that disabling "Local Group Policy Object Processing" may cause an issue in scenarios of one off specific GPO modifications - however, it is recommended to perform these modifications in Active Directory anyways.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Defense Evasion | T1562.002 Impair Defenses: Disable Windows Event Logging |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Security-Auditing | 4719 | System audit policy was changed. |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: selection
or:
AuditPolicyChanges|contains: '%%8448'
AuditPolicyChanges|contains: '%%8450'
Stage 2: not 1 of filter_main_guid
SubcategoryGuid: ['{0CCE9210-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9211-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9212-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9215-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9217-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE921B-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE922B-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE922F-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9230-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9235-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9236-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9237-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE923F-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9240-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}', '{0CCE9242-69AE-11D9-BED3-505054503030}']
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
AuditPolicyChanges | match |
|
SubcategoryGuid | eq |
|
Neighbors
Stricter alternatives (narrower than this rule)
The rules below may be useful if you find the current rule is too noisy / lacks specificity.
- Important Windows Event Auditing Disabled (adds 1 filter)
Broader alternatives (more inclusive than this rule)
These rules match a superset of what this rule catches. They cover the same events plus more. Use them if you want wider coverage and can absorb more false positives.
- Sensitive Audit Policy Sub-Category Disabled (drops 1 filter this rule applies)