Detection rules › Elastic

Attempt to Disable Windows Driver Blocklist via Registry

Source
github.com/elastic/protections-artifacts

Identifies registry modifications to disable Microsoft policy that prevents a blacklist of known vulnerable drivers. This could be indicative of adversary defense evasion by attempting to load and exploit a vulnerable driver.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
Persistence
Defense Impairment

Rule body

[rule]
description = """
Identifies registry modifications to disable Microsoft policy that prevents a blacklist of known vulnerable drivers.
This could be indicative of adversary defense evasion by attempting to load and exploit a vulnerable driver.
"""
id = "31b7218e-ba98-4228-a39a-d0e0d1c0e5b7"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Attempt to Disable Windows Driver Blocklist via Registry"
os_list = ["windows"]
reference = [
    "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/microsoft-recommended-driver-block-rules",
    "https://www.unknowncheats.me/forum/anti-cheat-bypass/524561-windows-11-blacklisteddrivers-fix.html",
]
version = "1.0.18"

query = '''
registry where registry.path : "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\*ControlSet*\\CI\\Config\\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable" and
 registry.data.strings : "0" and
 not process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\SecurityHealthService.exe",
                           "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Common Files\\InstallShield\\engine\\?\\Intel 32\\IKernel.exe")
'''

min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"
[[actions]]
action = "kill_process"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[optional_actions]]
action = "rollback"
field = "process.entity_id"
state = 0

[[threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[threat.technique]]
id = "T1112"
name = "Modify Registry"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1112/"


[threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"

[internal]
min_endpoint_version = "7.15.0"

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: registry

registry where registry.path : "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\*ControlSet*\\CI\\Config\\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable" and
 registry.data.strings : "0" and
 not process.executable : ("?:\\Windows\\System32\\SecurityHealthService.exe",
                           "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Common Files\\InstallShield\\engine\\?\\Intel 32\\IKernel.exe")

Exclusions

The rule actively suppresses these predicates.

FieldKindExcluded valuesSearch
process.executableeq?:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealthService.exe, C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\InstallShield\engine\?\Intel 32\IKernel.exeexcludes:process.executable field:"process.executable" value:"?:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealthService.exe" field:"process.executable" value:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\InstallShield\engine\?\Intel 32\IKernel.exe"

Indicators

These rows show field, operator, and value matches.

FieldKindValuesSearch
registry.data.stringswildcard
  • 0 corpus 18 (elastic 15, sigma 3)
field:"Details" kind:wildcard value:"0"
registry.pathwildcard
  • HKLM\SYSTEM\*ControlSet*\CI\Config\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable
field:"TargetObject" kind:wildcard value:"HKLM\SYSTEM\*ControlSet*\CI\Config\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable"