Windows regini.exe Used to Modify Registry via Alternate Data Streams (ADS)

Alert on regini.exe process executions whose command line contains an ADS-style colon pattern used for registry modification.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1

Product: windows
Category: process_creation
Author: Eli Salem, Sander Wiebing, oscd.community (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2026-07-30

Analysis Detection

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1112Modify Registry
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1112Modify Registry
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags process creation events where regini.exe is executed with a command line containing an ADS-style stream marker (a colon not followed by space or backslash). Using alternate data streams with regini.exe can be leveraged to tamper with registry values for persistence or defense impairment. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry, specifically the executed image name/original filename and the command-line content pattern.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1112 — drag to rearrange

Malicious Enabling of Restricted Admin Mode via Registry by UAT-8837

Suspicious Enabling of Remote Desktop via fDenyTSConnections Registry by DeadLock Ransomware

Malicious Service DLL Hijack for Persistence via Lotus Blossom

Suspicious Loopback Proxy Server Configured via Registry (via registry_set)

Malicious WDigest Credential Caching Enabled via Registry (via registry_set)

Suspicious Remote Desktop Enabled via fDenyTSConnections Registry by Sandworm

Malicious Gh0stBins RAT Registry Marker HHClient

Suspicious PebbleDash C2 Configuration Stored Under WMI Security Key (via registry_set)

Suspicious WDigest UseLogonCredential Enablement for Plaintext Credential Theft (via registry_set)

Windows regini.exe Used to Modify Registry via Alternate Data Streams (ADS)

Pivot detection · T1112 · 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-regini-exe-used-to-modify-registry-via-alternate-data-streams-ads-77946e79

title: Windows regini.exe Used to Modify Registry via Alternate Data Streams (ADS)
id: a08b1029-88b2-40e3-8908-65879e224a88
related:
  - id: 5f60740a-f57b-4e76-82a1-15b6ff2cb134
    type: derived
  - id: 77946e79-97f1-45a2-84b4-f37b5c0d8682
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags process creation events where regini.exe is executed with a command line containing an ADS-style stream marker (a colon not followed by space or backslash). Using alternate data streams with regini.exe can be leveraged to tamper with registry values for persistence or defense impairment. It relies on Windows process creation telemetry, specifically the executed image name/original filename and the command-line content pattern.
references:
  - https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Regini/
  - https://gist.github.com/api0cradle/cdd2d0d0ec9abb686f0e89306e277b8f
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/regini
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_regini_ads.yml
author: Eli Salem, Sander Wiebing, oscd.community, Huntrule Team
date: 2020-10-12
modified: 2023-02-08
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1112
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: \regini.exe
    - OriginalFileName: REGINI.EXE
  selection_re:
    CommandLine|re: :[^ \\]
  condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: high
license: DRL-1.1

Convert

This rule as a query you can run. Uses no unlock credit.

SplunkSPL