Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Disable Windows Group Policy Features Through Registry
The following analytic detects suspicious registry modifications aimed at disabling Windows Group Policy features. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry data model, focusing on specific registry paths and values associated with disabling key Windows functionalities. This activity is significant because it is commonly used by ransomware to hinder mitigation and forensic response efforts. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could severely impair the ability of security teams to analyze and respond to the attack, allowing the attacker to maintain control and persist within the compromised environment.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Persistence | T1112 Modify Registry |
| Defense Evasion | T1112 Modify Registry |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmon | 13 | RegistryEvent (Value Set) |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: tstats
tstats WHERE (Registry.registry_path="*\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer\\*" OR Registry.registry_path="*\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System\\*") Registry.registry_value_data="0x00000001" Registry.registry_value_name IN ("NoColorChoice", "NoControlPanel", "NoDesktop", "NoFileMenu", "NoFind", "NoPropertiesMyDocuments", "NoPropertiesMyDocuments", "NoSetTaskbar", "NoThemesTab", "NoTrayContextMenu", "NoVisualStyleChoice", "TaskbarLockAll") BY 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: where
where isnotnull(registry_value_data)
Stage 4: search
search
Stage 5: search
search
Stage 6: search
search `macro`
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.registry_path | eq |
|
Registry.registry_value_data | eq |
|
Registry.registry_value_name | in |
|