Detection rules › Sigma
Windows Vulnerable Driver Blocklist Disabled
Detects when the Windows Vulnerable Driver Blocklist is set to disabled. This setting is crucial for preventing the loading of known vulnerable drivers, and its modification may indicate an attempt to bypass security controls. It is often targeted by threat actors to facilitate the installation of malicious or vulnerable drivers, particularly in scenarios involving Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) bypass techniques. This rule applies to systems that support the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist feature, including Windows 10 version 1903 and later, and Windows Server 2022 and later. Note that this change will require a reboot to take effect, and this rule only detects the registry modification action.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Defense Impairment | T1685 Disable or Modify Tools |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmon | Event ID 13 | RegistryEvent (Value Set) |
Rule body yaml
title: Windows Vulnerable Driver Blocklist Disabled
id: d526c60a-e236-4011-b165-831ffa52ab70
related:
- id: 22154f0e-5132-4a54-aa78-cc62f6def531
type: similar
status: experimental
description: |
Detects when the Windows Vulnerable Driver Blocklist is set to disabled. This setting is crucial for preventing the loading of known vulnerable drivers,
and its modification may indicate an attempt to bypass security controls. It is often targeted by threat actors to facilitate the installation of malicious or vulnerable drivers,
particularly in scenarios involving Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) bypass techniques.
This rule applies to systems that support the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist feature, including Windows 10 version 1903 and later, and Windows Server 2022 and later.
Note that this change will require a reboot to take effect, and this rule only detects the registry modification action.
references:
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/microsoft-recommended-driver-block-rules
- https://www.sophos.com/en-us/blog/sharpening-the-knife-gold-blades-strategic-evolution
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/application-security/application-control/app-control-for-business/design/microsoft-recommended-driver-block-rules
author: Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
date: 2026-01-26
tags:
- attack.defense-impairment
- attack.t1685
logsource:
category: registry_set
product: windows
detection:
selection:
TargetObject|endswith: '\Control\CI\Config\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable'
Details: 'DWORD (0x00000000)'
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Unlikely and should be investigated immediately.
level: high
regression_tests_path: regression_data/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_vulnerable_driver_blocklist_disable/info.yml
Stages and Predicates
Stage 0: condition
selectionStage 1: selection
selection:
TargetObject|endswith: '\Control\CI\Config\VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable'
Details: 'DWORD (0x00000000)'
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
Details | eq |
|
TargetObject | ends_with |
|