IMPORTANT: No additional bug fixes or documentation updates will be released for this version. For the latest information, see the current release documentation.

« Unusual Parent-Child Relationship Unusual Print Spooler Child Process »

› › ›

Unusual Persistence via Services Registry

edit

Unusual Persistence via Services Registry

edit

Identifies 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: 6 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.11.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.4.0

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Rule query

edit

registry 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

edit

Framework: MITRE ATT&CK^TM

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 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

« Unusual Parent-Child Relationship Unusual Print Spooler Child Process »