Suspicious Winlogon AutoAdminLogon Credential Persistence via registry_set (via registry_set)

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1547.004Winlogon Helper DLL
Priv Esc
- T1547.004Winlogon Helper DLL
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects modification of Winlogon autologon values under the CurrentVersion Winlogon key, the persistence mechanism the CylindricalCanine backdoor uses by hardcoding automatic logon credentials to regain access after reboot. Adversaries set AutoAdminLogon with a stored username and password to survive restarts with elevated interactive access, making early detection critical for cutting off persistent access to the host.

Reporting behind it

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Suspicious Winlogon AutoAdminLogon Credential Persistence via registry_set (via registry_set)

Pivot detection · T1547.004 · 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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