Detection rules › Splunk

Windows Query Registry UnInstall Program List

Author
Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
Source
upstream

The following analytic detects an access request on the uninstall registry key. It leverages Windows Security Event logs, specifically event code 4663. This activity is significant because adversaries or malware can exploit this key to gather information about installed applications, aiding in further attacks. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could allow attackers to map out installed software, potentially identifying vulnerabilities or software to exploit, leading to further system compromise.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
DiscoveryT1012 Query Registry

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
Security-Auditing4663An attempt was made to access an object.

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

search EventCode=4663 object_file_path="*\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall\\*"

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`

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
EventCodeeq
  • 4663 corpus 16 (splunk 16)
object_file_patheq
  • "*\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall\\*"

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.