huntrule

Windows windefend alerts on suspicious Windows Defender configuration changes (Disable* and SpyNet reporting)

Alerts on windefend Event 5007 when Defender configuration changes set features like anti-spyware, scanning, or SpyNet reporting to disabled values.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Service
windefend
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-12-06
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 windefend events where the Windows Defender antimalware platform configuration is changed to values associated with disabling protections or altering SpyNet reporting behavior. Attackers commonly reduce visibility or defensive controls by adjusting Defender settings, so these changes are high-signal for defense impairment attempts. It relies on windefend telemetry for configuration-change events (EventID 5007) and matches specific configured NewValue substrings indicating suspicious Defender features.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious Vulnerable Intel Ethernet Driver Load for BYOVD via SCATTERED SPIDER (via driver_load)
Malicious Defender Disable And Executable Exclusion Via Registry
Malicious UAC Disable via EnableLUA Registry Modification (via registry_set)
Malicious AMSI and ETW Patching via PowerShell Script
Malicious PowMix AMSI Bypass via amsiInitFailed
Suspicious ThrottleStop Driver Abuse for Defense Evasion in Ransomware Attacks
Malicious Disabling of Microsoft Defender Real-Time Protection via SystemSettingsAdminFlows by DeadLock Ransomware
Suspicious Security Software Uninstallation via WMIC Product Call Uninstall (Chaos Ransomware)
Suspicious Security Product Uninstall via wmic product call uninstall
Windows windefend alerts on suspicious Windows Defender configuration changes (Disable* and SpyNet reporting)
Pivot detection · T1685 · 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.