Malicious Safe Mode Boot Configuration via bcdedit
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-09-25
- Updated
- 2026-09-25
ATT&CK techniques
Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects bcdedit configuring the system to boot into Safe Mode by setting the safeboot option, a defense-impairment technique observed in an EDR analysis of LockBit ransomware that forced Safe Mode to disable security tooling before encryption. It captures tampering with boot configuration to weaken host defenses. Detecting this is important because interactive bcdedit safeboot changes are strongly associated with ransomware attempting to evade protection prior to file encryption.
Reporting behind it
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
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