Windows Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access: Added Allowed Application for Blocked Path

Alerts when an app is added to Exploit Guard’s AllowedApplications list to bypass controlled folder restrictions for risky paths.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1

Product: windows
Category: registry_set
Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2022-08-05
Updated: 2026-07-30

Analysis Detection

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 flags registry updates that add an entry under the Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access AllowedApplications list. Attackers can use this to permit a specific application to write or execute despite controlled folder protections, potentially bypassing restrictions on common user-writable and temporary locations. The detection relies on registry set telemetry where the TargetObject path contains the AllowedApplications key and includes suspicious directory path values.

Reporting behind it

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Windows Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access: Added Allowed Application for Blocked Path

Pivot detection · T1685 · 9 related

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

windows-exploit-guard-controlled-folder-access-added-allowed-application-for-blo-42205c73

title: "Windows Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access: Added Allowed Application for Blocked Path"
id: 5dee83b3-23ac-445c-a1c5-cf5ab9d6e0ee
status: test
description: This rule flags registry updates that add an entry under the Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access AllowedApplications list. Attackers can use this to permit a specific application to write or execute despite controlled folder protections, potentially bypassing restrictions on common user-writable and temporary locations. The detection relies on registry set telemetry where the TargetObject path contains the AllowedApplications key and includes suspicious directory path values.
references:
  - https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2017/10/23/windows-defender-exploit-guard-reduce-the-attack-surface-against-next-generation-malware/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_exploit_guard_susp_allowed_apps.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2022-08-05
modified: 2023-08-17
tags:
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1685
logsource:
  category: registry_set
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_key:
    TargetObject|contains: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Exploit Guard\Controlled Folder Access\AllowedApplications
  selection_paths:
    TargetObject|contains:
      - \Users\Public\
      - \AppData\Local\Temp\
      - \Desktop\
      - \PerfLogs\
      - \Windows\Temp\
  condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
  - Unlikely
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 42205c73-75c8-4a63-9db1-e3782e06fda0
    type: derived

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