CurrentVersion NT Autorun Keys Modification

title: CurrentVersion NT Autorun Keys Modification
id: cbf93e5d-ca6c-4722-8bea-e9119007c248
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_nt_current_version_base:
        TargetObject|contains: '\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion'
    selection_nt_current_version:
        TargetObject|contains:
            - '\Winlogon\VmApplet'
            - '\Winlogon\Userinit'
            - '\Winlogon\Taskman'
            - '\Winlogon\Shell'
            - '\Winlogon\GpExtensions'
            - '\Winlogon\AppSetup'
            - '\Winlogon\AlternateShells\AvailableShells'
            - '\Windows\IconServiceLib'
            - '\Windows\Appinit_Dlls'
            - '\Image File Execution Options' # Covered in better details in 36803969-5421-41ec-b92f-8500f79c23b0
            - '\Font Drivers'
            - '\Drivers32'
            - '\Windows\Run'
            - '\Windows\Load'
    filter_main_empty:
        Details: '(Empty)'
    filter_main_null:
        Details: null
    filter_main_poqexec:
        Image: 'C:\Windows\System32\poqexec.exe'
    filter_main_legitimate_subkey:  # Legitimately used subkeys of \Image File Execution Options, which are not used for persistence (see https://pentestlab.blog/2020/01/13/persistence-image-file-execution-options-injection/)
        TargetObject|contains: '\Image File Execution Options\'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\DisableExceptionChainValidation'
            - '\MitigationOptions'
    filter_main_security_extension_dc:
        Image: 'C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe'
        TargetObject|contains:
            - '\Winlogon\GPExtensions\{827D319E-6EAC-11D2-A4EA-00C04F79F83A}\PreviousPolicyAreas'
            - '\Winlogon\GPExtensions\{827D319E-6EAC-11D2-A4EA-00C04F79F83A}\MaxNoGPOListChangesInterval'
        Details:
            - 'DWORD (0x00000001)'
            - 'DWORD (0x00000009)'
            - 'DWORD (0x000003c0)'
    filter_main_runtimebroker:
        Image: 'C:\Windows\System32\RuntimeBroker.exe'
        TargetObject|contains: '\runtimebroker.exe\Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost'
    filter_optional_edge:
        Image|startswith: 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Temp\'
        Image|endswith: '\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe'
    filter_optional_avguard:
        Image|startswith:
            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Avira\Antivirus\avguard.exe'
            - 'C:\Program Files\Avira\Antivirus\avguard.exe'
        TargetObject|contains: 'SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Avira\Antivirus\Overwrite_Keys\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\userinit\UseAsDefault'
            - '\shell\UseAsDefault'
        Details:
            - 'explorer.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\system32\userinit.exe,'
    filter_optional_msoffice:
        - TargetObject|contains:
              - '\ClickToRunStore\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\'
              - '\ClickToRun\REGISTRY\MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\'
        - Image:
              - 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\integration\integrator.exe'
              - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\integration\integrator.exe'
    filter_optional_officeclicktorun:
        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_ngen:
        Image|startswith: 'C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework'
        Image|endswith: '\ngen.exe'
    filter_optional_onedrive:
        Image|endswith: '\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\StandaloneUpdater\OneDriveSetup.exe'
        TargetObject|endswith: '\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\Delete Cached Update Binary'
        Details|startswith: 'C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /q /c del /q "C:\Users\'
        Details|endswith: '\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\Update\OneDriveSetup.exe"'
    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