Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Deleted Registry By A Non Critical Process File Path
The following analytic detects the deletion of registry keys by non-critical processes. It leverages Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) data, focusing on registry deletion events and correlating them with processes not typically associated with system or program files. This activity is significant as it may indicate malware, such as the Double Zero wiper, attempting to evade defenses or cause destructive payload impacts. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could lead to significant system damage, loss of critical configurations, and potential disruption of services.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Persistence | T1112 Modify Registry |
| Defense Evasion | T1112 Modify Registry |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmon | 1 | Process creation |
| Sysmon | 12 | RegistryEvent (Object create and delete) |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: tstats
tstats WHERE Registry.action="deleted" BY _time, Registry.action, Registry.dest, Registry.process_guid, Registry.process_id, Registry.registry_hive, Registry.registry_path, Registry.registry_key_name, Registry.registry_value_data, Registry.registry_value_name, Registry.registry_value_type, Registry.status, Registry.user, Registry.vendor_product
Stage 2: search
search
Stage 3: join
join type=inner (...)
Stage 4: fields
fields _time, action, dest, parent_process, parent_process_name, process, process_guid, process_name, process_path, registry_key_name, registry_path, registry_value_data, registry_value_name, user
Stage 5: search
search `macro`
Exclusions
Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts — predicates this rule actively suppresses.
| Stage | Field | Kind | Excluded values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Image | in | "*\\program files*", "*\\windows\\*" |
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 |
|---|---|---|
Registry.action | eq |
|