Suspicious Microsoft Defender Exclusion Added via Add-MpPreference (via process_creation)

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 the use of Add-MpPreference to register a Microsoft Defender exclusion, a defense-evasion action performed by the malvertising-delivered info stealers to whitelist their payload paths before execution. Adversaries add exclusions so downloaded stealer and NetSupport components run without inspection, so unexpected exclusion changes outside managed policy warrant investigation.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685 — drag to rearrange

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Suspicious Windows Defender Exclusion Enumeration via reg query (via process_creation)

Malicious Windows Defender Exclusion Added via PowerShell (via process_creation)

Malicious BYOVD EDR Kill via Renamed GMER Driver by Agonizing Serpens

Suspicious Microsoft Defender Exclusion Added via Add-MpPreference (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1685 · 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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