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Unusual Persistence via Services Registry
editUnusual Persistence via Services Registry
editIdentifies processes modifying the services registry key directly, instead of through the expected Windows APIs. This could be an indication of an adversary attempting to stealthily persist through abnormal service creation or modification of an existing service.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- logs-endpoint.events.*
Severity: low
Risk score: 21
Runs every: 5 minutes
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum alerts per execution: 100
Tags:
- Elastic
- Host
- Windows
- Threat Detection
- Persistence
Version: 100 (version history)
Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.11.0
Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.5.0
Rule authors: Elastic
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Rule query
editregistry where registry.path : ("HKLM\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet*\\Services\\*\\ServiceDLL", "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet*\\Services\\*\\ImagePath") and not registry.data.strings : ("?:\\windows\\system32\\Drivers\\*.sys", "\\SystemRoot\\System32\\drivers\\*.sys", "\\??\\?:\\Windows\\system32\\Drivers\\*.SYS", "system32\\DRIVERS\\USBSTOR") and not (process.name : "procexp??.exe" and registry.data.strings : "?:\\*\\procexp*.sys") and not process.executable : ("?:\\Program Files\\*.exe", "?:\\Program Files (x86)\\*.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe", "?:\\Windows\\winsxs\\*\\TiWorker.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\drvinst.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\services.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe", "?:\\Windows\\System32\\regsvr32.exe")
Threat mapping
editFramework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Persistence
- ID: TA0003
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/
-
Technique:
- Name: Create or Modify System Process
- ID: T1543
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1543/
Rule version history
edit- Version 100 (8.5.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 6 (8.4.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 5 (8.1.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 4 (7.13.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
registry where registry.path : ("HKLM\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet*\\Services\\*\\ServiceDLL", "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet*\\Services\\*\\ImagePath") and not registry.data.strings : ("C:\\windows\\system32\\Drivers\\*.sys", "\\SystemRoot\\System32\\drivers\\*.sys", "system32\\DRIVERS\\USBSTOR") and not (process.name : "procexp??.exe" and registry.data.strings : "C:\\*\\procexp*.sys") and not process.executable : ("C:\\Program Files*\\*.exe", "C:\\Windows\\System32\\svchost.exe", "C:\\Windows\\winsxs\\*\\TiWorker.exe", "C:\\Windows\\System32\\drvinst.exe", "C:\\Windows\\System32\\services.exe", "C:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe", "C:\\Windows\\System32\\regsvr32.exe")
-
- Version 3 (7.12.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 2 (7.11.2 release)
-
- Formatting only