Malicious Windows Event Log Clearing via wevtutil

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 wevtutil being used to clear or reconfigure Windows event logs which Evil Corp operators perform to destroy forensic evidence of their intrusion. Clearing event logs is a deliberate anti forensic action that legitimate administrators rarely automate on endpoints.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685.005 — drag to rearrange

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Suspicious Event Log Clearing via Wevtutil (via process_creation)

Suspicious Mass Windows Event Log Clearing via PowerShell (via ps_script)

Malicious Event Log Clear Attempt - Wmi (via process_creation)

Malicious Windows Event Log Clearing via wevtutil

Pivot detection · T1685.005 · 9 related

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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