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Rebuild Performance Counter Values Via Lodctr.EXE

Detects the execution of "lodctr.exe" to rebuild the performance counter registry values. This can be abused by attackers by providing a malicious config file to overwrite performance counter configuration to confuse and evade monitoring and security solutions.

Detection Query

selection_img:
  Image|endswith: \lodctr.exe
  OriginalFileName: LODCTR.EXE
selection_cli:
  CommandLine|contains|windash: " -r"
condition: all of selection_*

Author

Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)

Created

2023-06-15

Data Sources

windowsProcess Creation Events

Platforms

windows

References

Tags

attack.execution
Raw Content
title: Rebuild Performance Counter Values Via Lodctr.EXE
id: cc9d3712-6310-4320-b2df-7cb408274d53
status: test
description: Detects the execution of "lodctr.exe" to rebuild the performance counter registry values. This can be abused by attackers by providing a malicious config file to overwrite performance counter configuration to confuse and evade monitoring and security solutions.
references:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/virtual-smart-cards/virtual-smart-card-tpmvscmgr
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2023-06-15
modified: 2024-03-05
tags:
    - attack.execution
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_img:
        Image|endswith: '\lodctr.exe'
        OriginalFileName: 'LODCTR.EXE'
    selection_cli:
        CommandLine|contains|windash: ' -r'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate usage by an administrator
level: medium