Windows windefend Event ID 5012: Windows Defender virus scanning disabled

Flags when Windows Defender disables virus scanning via windefend Event ID 5012.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2

Product: windows
Service: windefend
Author: Ján Trenčanský, frack113 (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2026-07-31

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 matches Windows windefend events where Event ID 5012 indicates that virus scanning has been disabled. Attackers may impair endpoint defenses to reduce the likelihood of malware detection and persistence. The detection relies on the windefend telemetry reporting Event ID 5012 for the disabling of scanning.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685 — drag to rearrange

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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

Windows windefend Event ID 5012: Windows Defender virus scanning disabled

Pivot detection · T1685 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
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.

windows-defender-windefend-virus-scanning-disabled-event-id-5012-686c0b4b

title: "Windows windefend Event ID 5012: Windows Defender virus scanning disabled"
id: 9d0b04b9-e9f1-44c4-8aa0-d25e00199600
related:
  - id: fe34868f-6e0e-4882-81f6-c43aa8f15b62
    type: obsolete
  - id: 686c0b4b-9dd3-4847-9077-d6c1bbe36fcb
    type: derived
status: stable
description: This rule matches Windows windefend events where Event ID 5012 indicates that virus scanning has been disabled. Attackers may impair endpoint defenses to reduce the likelihood of malware detection and persistence. The detection relies on the windefend telemetry reporting Event ID 5012 for the disabling of scanning.
references:
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-endpoint/troubleshoot-microsoft-defender-antivirus?view=o365-worldwide#event-id-5012
  - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1562.001/T1562.001.md
  - https://craigclouditpro.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/hunting-malicious-windows-defender-activity/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/builtin/windefend/win_defender_virus_scan_disabled.yml
author: Ján Trenčanský, frack113, Huntrule Team
date: 2020-07-28
modified: 2023-11-22
tags:
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1685
logsource:
  product: windows
  service: windefend
detection:
  selection:
    EventID: 5012
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: high
license: DRL-1.1

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