Suspicious Removal of Windows Defender Context Menu (via process_creation)

This rule detects the use of reg.exe or PowerShell to delete the Windows Defender context menu handler registry keys. This action removes the "Scan with Microsoft Defender" option from the right-click menu for files, directories, and drives. Attackers may use this method to hinder manual, on-demand scans and reduce the visibility of the security product.

SigmahighWindowsv1
Full detection rule

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Known false positives

  • Unknown

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