Possible Privileged System Service Operation - SeLoadDriverPrivilege (via security)

title: Possible Privileged System Service Operation - SeLoadDriverPrivilege (via security)
id: b6288d1b-3513-5506-bcb6-760ad1232d74
status: stable
description: This rule detects the use of the 'SeLoadDriverPrivilege' privilege. This privilege is required to load or unload a device driver. With this privilege, the user can dynamically load and unload device drivers or other code in to kernel mode. This user right does not apply to Plug and Play device drivers. If you exclude privileged users/admins and processes, which are allowed to do so, you are maybe left with bad programs trying to load hostile kernel drivers. This will detect Ghost-In-The-Logs (https://github.com/bats3c/Ghost-In-The-Logs) and the use of Sysinternals and various other tools. So you have to work with a whitelist to find the bad stuff.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1685/
    - https://web.archive.org/web/20230331181619/https://blog.dylan.codes/evading-sysmon-and-windows-event-logging/
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-10/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4673
author: Huntrule Team
date: 2026-04-19
tags:
    - attack.defense-impairment
    - attack.t1685
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: security
detection:
    selection_1:
        EventID: 4673
        PrivilegeList: 'SeLoadDriverPrivilege'
        Service: '-'
    filter_main_exact:
        ProcessName:
            - 'C:\Windows\explorer.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\HelpPane.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanel\SystemSettings.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\Dism.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\fltMC.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\mmc.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\RuntimeBroker.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\ShellHost.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\SystemSettingsBroker.exe'
            - 'C:\Windows\System32\wimserv.exe'
    filter_optional_others:
        ProcessName|endswith:
            - '\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Teams\current\Teams.exe'
            - '\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe'
            - '\procexp.exe'
            - '\procexp64.exe'
            - '\procexp64a.exe'
            - '\procmon.exe'
            - '\procmon64.exe'
            - '\procmon64a.exe'
    filter_main_startswith:
        ProcessName|startswith: 'C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft'
    filter_optional_dropbox:
        ProcessName|startswith:
            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\'
            - 'C:\Program Files\Dropbox\'
        ProcessName|endswith: '\Dropbox.exe'
    condition: selection_1 and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: medium