Detection rules › Splunk

Windows Modify Registry DisableSecuritySettings

Author
Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
Source
upstream

The following analytic detects modifications to the Windows registry that disable security settings for Terminal Services. It leverages the Endpoint data model, specifically monitoring changes to the registry path associated with Terminal Services security settings. This activity is significant because altering these settings can weaken the security posture of Remote Desktop Services, potentially allowing unauthorized remote access. If confirmed malicious, such modifications could enable attackers to gain persistent remote access to the system, facilitating further exploitation and data exfiltration.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
PersistenceT1112 Modify Registry
Defense EvasionT1112 Modify Registry

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
Sysmon13RegistryEvent (Value Set)

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: tstats

tstats WHERE Registry.registry_path="*\\Terminal Services\\DisableSecuritySettings" Registry.registry_value_data=0x00000001 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: search

search

Stage 4: search

search

Stage 5: 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.

FieldKindValues
Registry.registry_patheq
  • "*\\Terminal Services\\DisableSecuritySettings"
Registry.registry_value_dataeq
  • 0x00000001 corpus 12 (splunk 12)