Wow6432Node CurrentVersion Autorun Keys Modification

title: Wow6432Node CurrentVersion Autorun Keys Modification
id: b29aed60-ebd1-442b-9cb5-16a1d0324adb
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
    - https://oddvar.moe/2018/03/21/persistence-using-runonceex-hidden-from-autoruns-exe/
author: Victor Sergeev, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, Gleb Sukhodolskiy, Timur Zinniatullin, oscd.community, Tim Shelton, frack113 (split)
date: 2019-10-25
modified: 2025-12-08
tags:
    - attack.privilege-escalation
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.t1547.001
logsource:
    category: registry_set
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_wow_current_version_base:
        TargetObject|contains: '\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion'
    selection_wow_current_version_keys:
        TargetObject|contains:
            - '\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad'
            - '\Run\'
            - '\RunOnce\'
            - '\RunOnceEx\'
            - '\RunServices\'
            - '\RunServicesOnce\'
            - '\Explorer\ShellServiceObjects'
            - '\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers'
            - '\Explorer\ShellExecuteHooks'
            - '\Explorer\SharedTaskScheduler'
            - '\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects'
    filter_main_empty:
        Details: '(Empty)'
    filter_main_null:
        Details: null
    filter_main_ms_win_desktop_runtime:
        Details|startswith: '"C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\{d21a4f20-968a-4b0c-bf04-a38da5f06e41}\windowsdesktop-runtime-'
    filter_main_vcredist:
        Image|endswith: '\VC_redist.x64.exe'
        Details|endswith: '}\VC_redist.x64.exe" /burn.runonce'
    filter_main_upgrades:
        Image|startswith:
            - 'C:\ProgramData\Package Cache'
            - 'C:\Windows\Temp\'
        Image|contains:
            - '\winsdksetup.exe'
            - '\windowsdesktop-runtime-'  # C:\WINDOWS\Temp\{751E2E78-46DC-4376-9205-99219CDC34AE}\.be\windowsdesktop-runtime-6.0.12-win-x86.exe
            - '\AspNetCoreSharedFrameworkBundle-'  # "C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\{b52191c1-a9c0-4b34-9a4e-930c2dd8a540}\AspNetCoreSharedFrameworkBundle-x86.exe" /burn.runonce
        Details|endswith: ' /burn.runonce'
    filter_main_uninstallers:
        # This image path is linked with different uninstallers when running as admin unfortunately
        Image|startswith: 'C:\Windows\Installer\MSI'
        TargetObject|contains: '\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects'
    filter_main_msiexec:
        Image: 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\msiexec.exe'
        TargetObject|contains: '\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\'
    filter_main_edge:
        Image|contains|all:
            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\Install\{'
            - '\setup.exe'
    filter_optional_msoffice1:
        Image: 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeClickToRun.exe'
        TargetObject|contains: '\Office\ClickToRun\REGISTRY\MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\'
    filter_optional_msoffice2:
        Image:
            - 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\integration\integrator.exe'
            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\integration\integrator.exe'
        TargetObject|contains: '\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{31D09BA0-12F5-4CCE-BE8A-2923E76605DA}\'
    filter_optional_dropbox:
        - Details|endswith: '-A251-47B7-93E1-CDD82E34AF8B}'
        - Details: 'grpconv -o'
        - Details|contains|all:
              - 'C:\Program Files'
              - '\Dropbox\Client\Dropbox.exe'
              - ' /systemstartup'
    filter_optional_evernote:
        TargetObject|endswith: '\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{92EF2EAD-A7CE-4424-B0DB-499CF856608E}\NoExplorer'
    filter_optional_dotnet:
        Image|contains: '\windowsdesktop-runtime-'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\{e2d1ae32-dd1d-4ad7-a298-10e42e7840fc}'
            - '\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\{7037b699-7382-448c-89a7-4765961d2537}'
        Details|startswith: '"C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\'
        Details|endswith: '.exe" /burn.runonce'
    filter_optional_office:
        Image|startswith:
            - 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\'
            - 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\Updates\'
        Image|endswith: '\OfficeClickToRun.exe'
    filter_optional_discord:
        TargetObject|endswith: '\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Discord'
        Details|endswith: 'Discord.exe --checkInstall'
    filter_optional_avira:
        Details|endswith: '\Avira.OE.Setup.Bundle.exe" /burn.runonce'
        Image|endswith: '\Avira.OE.Setup.Bundle.exe'
    filter_optional_avg_1:
        Image|endswith: '\instup.exe'
        TargetObject|endswith: '\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\AvRepair'
        Details|endswith: 'instup.exe" /instop:repair /wait'
    filter_optional_avg_2:
        Image|endswith: '\instup.exe'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers\00avg\(Default)'
            - '\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers\00asw\(Default)'
        Details:
            - '{472083B1-C522-11CF-8763-00608CC02F24}'
            - '{472083B0-C522-11CF-8763-00608CC02F24}'
    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