Malicious FodHelper UAC Bypass via ms-settings Shell Command Hijack (via registry_set)

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
registry_set
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-09-12
Updated
2026-09-12

ATT&CK techniques

Priv Esc → Defense Evasion
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Cred Access

  7. Discovery

  8. Lateral Movement

  9. Collection

  10. C2

  11. Exfiltration

  12. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of the HKCU ms-settings shell open command key which the CoralRaider intrusion uses together with FodHelper to bypass User Account Control and run code with elevated privileges. This fileless UAC bypass abuses auto-elevating trusted binaries and is a reliable privilege escalation and defense evasion technique.

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Pivot detection · T1548.002 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.