Classes Autorun Keys Modification

title: Classes Autorun Keys Modification
id: 9df5f547-c86a-433e-b533-f2794357e242
related:
    - id: 17f878b8-9968-4578-b814-c4217fc5768c
      type: obsolete
status: test
description: Detects modification of autostart extensibility point (ASEP) in registry.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1547.001/T1547.001.md
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns
    - https://gist.github.com/GlebSukhodolskiy/0fc5fa5f482903064b448890db1eaf9d # a list with registry keys
author: Victor Sergeev, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, Gleb Sukhodolskiy, Timur Zinniatullin, oscd.community, Tim Shelton, frack113 (split)
date: 2019-10-25
modified: 2025-10-22
tags:
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.t1547.001
logsource:
    category: registry_set
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_classes_base:
        TargetObject|contains: '\Software\Classes'
    selection_classes_target:
        TargetObject|contains:
            - '\Folder\ShellEx\ExtShellFolderViews'
            - '\Folder\ShellEx\DragDropHandlers'
            - '\Folder\Shellex\ColumnHandlers'
            - '\Filter'
            - '\Exefile\Shell\Open\Command\(Default)'
            - '\Directory\Shellex\DragDropHandlers'
            - '\Directory\Shellex\CopyHookHandlers'
            - '\CLSID\{AC757296-3522-4E11-9862-C17BE5A1767E}\Instance'
            - '\CLSID\{ABE3B9A4-257D-4B97-BD1A-294AF496222E}\Instance'
            - '\CLSID\{7ED96837-96F0-4812-B211-F13C24117ED3}\Instance'
            - '\CLSID\{083863F1-70DE-11d0-BD40-00A0C911CE86}\Instance'
            - '\Classes\AllFileSystemObjects\ShellEx\DragDropHandlers'
            - '\.exe'
            - '\.cmd'
            - '\ShellEx\PropertySheetHandlers'
            - '\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers'
    filter_main_drivers:
        Image: 'C:\Windows\System32\drvinst.exe'
    filter_main_empty:
        Details: '(Empty)'
    filter_main_null:
        Details: null
    filter_main_svchost:
        Image: 'C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe'
        # If more targets are found from "svchost". Please exclude the whole image
        TargetObject|contains: '\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\'
    filter_optional_msoffice:
        Details: '{807583E5-5146-11D5-A672-00B0D022E945}'
    condition: all of selection_* and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate software automatically (mostly, during installation) sets up autorun keys for legitimate reason
    - Legitimate administrator sets up autorun keys for legitimate reason
level: medium