huntrule

Windows Process Command-Line Flags Indicating Auditpol Policy Tampering

Detects auditpol runs with flags that disable key audit categories, indicating potential audit policy tampering for defense impairment.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2021-12-18
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule flags process executions where the command line includes specific auditpol-style flags that can be used to target audit policy configuration. An attacker could use an older auditpol utility from a resource kit to disable or remove selected audit policies or restore a custom policy, impairing detection fidelity. The detection relies on Windows process creation telemetry and matching the presence of the defined /<area>:none command-line parameters.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685.001 — drag to rearrange
Malicious Security Event Log Disabled via wevtutil
Malicious SQL Server Auditing Deactivated (via application)
Malicious Event Log Deactivation or Size Reduction - Command (via process_creation)
Malicious Audit Policy Disabled by Command Line (via process_creation)
Suspicious IIS Logging Disabled via appcmd
Malicious SQL Server Database Auditing Deactivated (via application)
Malicious Audit Policy Disabled by Command Line (via security)
Malicious Event Log Tampering via wevtutil Channel Disable by FunkSec Ransomware (via process_creation)
OCSP Responder Auditing Settings Changed or Disabled (via security)
Windows Process Command-Line Flags Indicating Auditpol Policy Tampering
Pivot detection · T1685.001 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
  1. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v1
    No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

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