active_setup_registry_autostart.yml

name: Active Setup Registry Autostart
id: f64579c0-203f-11ec-abcc-acde48001122
version: 4
date: '2023-04-27'
author: Steven Dick, Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: This analytic is to detect a suspicious modification of the active setup
  registry for persistence and privilege escalation. This technique was seen in several
  malware (poisonIvy), adware and APT to gain persistence to the compromised machine
  upon boot up. This TTP is a good indicator to further check the process id that
  do the modification since modification of this registry is not commonly done. check
  the legitimacy of the file and process involve in this rules to check if it is a
  valid setup installer that creating or modifying this registry.
data_source:
- Sysmon EventID 12
- Sysmon EventID 13
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry WHERE (Registry.registry_value_name= "StubPath" Registry.registry_path = "*\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Active Setup\\Installed Components*") BY _time span=1h Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.process_guid Registry.dest Registry.user 
  | `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)`
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`| `active_setup_registry_autostart_filter`'
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting
  logs with the registry value name, registry path, and registry value data from your
  endpoints. If you are using Sysmon, you must have at least version 2.0 of the offical
  Sysmon TA. https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/5709
known_false_positives: Active setup installer may add or modify this registry.
references:
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Backdoor%3AWin32%2FPoisonivy.E
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/014/
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Data Destruction
  - Windows Privilege Escalation
  - Hermetic Wiper
  - Windows Persistence Techniques
  asset_type: Endpoint
  confidence: 80
  impact: 80
  message: modified/added/deleted registry entry $registry_path$ in $dest$
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1547.014
  - T1547
  observable:
  - name: dest
    type: Hostname
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: user
    type: User
    role:
    - Victim
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  required_fields:
  - _time
  - Registry.dest
  - Registry.registry_value_name
  - Registry.registry_key_name
  - Registry.registry_path
  - Registry.registry_value_data
  - Registry.process_guid
  risk_score: 64
  security_domain: endpoint
tests:
- name: True Positive Test
  attack_data:
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/t1547.014/active_setup_stubpath/sysmon.log
    source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
    sourcetype: xmlwineventlog