Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Query Registry Browser List Application
The following analytic detects a suspicious process accessing the registry entries for default internet browsers. It leverages Windows Security Event logs, specifically event code 4663, to identify access attempts to these registry paths. This activity is significant because adversaries can exploit this registry key to gather information about installed browsers and their settings, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive data such as login credentials and browsing history. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could enable attackers to exfiltrate sensitive information and compromise user accounts.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Discovery | T1012 Query Registry |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Security-Auditing | 4663 | An attempt was made to access an object. |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search NOT process_path IN ("*:\\Program Files (x86)\\*", "*:\\Program Files\\*", "*:\\Windows\\SysWow64\\*", "*:\\Windows\\System32\\*", "*:\\\\Windows\\\\WinSxS\\\\*") EventCode=4663 object_file_path IN ("*\\SOFTWARE\\Clients\\StartMenuInternet\\*", "*\\SOFTWARE\\Clients\\StartMenuInternet\\*")
Stage 2: stats
stats BY object_file_name, object_file_path, process_name, process_path, process_id, EventCode, dest
Stage 3: search
search
Stage 4: search
search
Stage 5: search
search `macro`
Exclusions
Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts — predicates this rule actively suppresses.
| Stage | Field | Kind | Excluded values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | process_name | in | "*:\\Program Files (x86)\\*", "*:\\Program Files\\*", "*:\\Windows\\SysWow64\\*", "*:\\Windows\\System32\\*", *:\\Windows\\WinSxS\\* |
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 |
|---|---|---|
EventCode | eq |
|
object_file_path | in |
|
Neighbors
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.
- Windows Credential Access From Browser Password Store (drops 2 filters this rule applies)