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RDP Enable or Disable via Win32_TerminalServiceSetting WMI Class

Detects enabling or disabling of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) using alternate methods such as WMIC or PowerShell. In PowerShell one-liner commands, the "SetAllowTSConnections" method of the "Win32_TerminalServiceSetting" class may be used to enable or disable RDP. In WMIC, the "rdtoggle" alias or "Win32_TerminalServiceSetting" class may be used for the same purpose.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1021.001 T1047

lateral-movementexecution

Detection Query

selection_img:
  - Image|endswith:
      - \wmic.exe
      - \powershell.exe
      - \pwsh.exe
  - OriginalFileName:
      - wmic.exe
      - PowerShell.EXE
      - pwsh.dll
selection_cli_method:
  CommandLine|contains:
    - rdtoggle
    - Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
selection_cli_property:
  CommandLine|contains: SetAllowTSConnections
condition: all of selection_*

Author

Daniel Koifman (KoifSec), Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)

Created

2025-11-15

Data Sources

windowsProcess Creation Events

Platforms

windows

References

Tags

attack.lateral-movementattack.t1021.001attack.executionattack.t1047

Raw Content

title: RDP Enable or Disable via Win32_TerminalServiceSetting WMI Class
id: 4b8f6d3a-9c5e-4f2a-a7d8-6b9c3e5f2a8d
related:
    - id: a2863fbc-d5cb-48d5-83fb-d976d4b1743b
      type: similar
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects enabling or disabling of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) using alternate methods such as WMIC or PowerShell.
    In PowerShell one-liner commands, the "SetAllowTSConnections" method of the "Win32_TerminalServiceSetting" class may be used to enable or disable RDP.
    In WMIC, the "rdtoggle" alias or "Win32_TerminalServiceSetting" class may be used for the same purpose.
references:
    - https://www.trendmicro.com/en_gb/research/22/e/uncovering-a-kingminer-botnet-attack-using-trend-micro-managed-x.html
    - https://github.com/HackTricks-wiki/hacktricks/blob/72f20a3fa26775b932bd819f1824c6377802a768/src/windows-hardening/basic-cmd-for-pentesters.md#firewall
    - https://github.com/Lifailon/RSA/blob/rsa/Sources/RSA-1.4.1.ps1#L1468
author: Daniel Koifman (KoifSec), Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
date: 2025-11-15
tags:
    - attack.lateral-movement
    - attack.t1021.001
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1047
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        - Image|endswith:
              - '\wmic.exe'
              - '\powershell.exe'
              - '\pwsh.exe'
        - OriginalFileName:
              - 'wmic.exe'
              - 'PowerShell.EXE'
              - 'pwsh.dll'
    selection_cli_method:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'rdtoggle'
            - 'Win32_TerminalServiceSetting'
    selection_cli_property:
        CommandLine|contains: 'SetAllowTSConnections'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate system administrators enabling RDP for remote support
    - System configuration scripts during deployment
level: medium