Windows Registry: DisableRestrictedAdmin Value Tampering to Change Restricted Admin Mode

Flags registry modifications to DisableRestrictedAdmin that change Restricted Admin mode settings.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1

Product: windows
Category: registry_set
Author: frack113 (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2023-01-13
Updated: 2026-07-30

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 identifies updates to the DisableRestrictedAdmin registry value under System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\DisableRestrictedAdmin, which controls whether Restricted Admin mode is enabled. Disabling RestrictedAdmin mode matters because it can allow reusable credentials to be transmitted during Remote Desktop connections, increasing exposure if the remote host is compromised. The detection relies on Windows registry set activity telemetry that records the TargetObject being modified.

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 Registry: DisableRestrictedAdmin Value Tampering to Change Restricted Admin Mode

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-registry-disablerestrictedadmin-value-tampering-to-change-restricted-adm-d6ce7ebd

title: "Windows Registry: DisableRestrictedAdmin Value Tampering to Change Restricted Admin Mode"
id: 26b72786-47c2-4688-8580-f31ad2bdec3e
related:
  - id: 28ac00d6-22d9-4a3c-927f-bbd770104573
    type: similar
  - id: d6ce7ebd-260b-4323-9768-a9631c8d4db2
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule identifies updates to the DisableRestrictedAdmin registry value under System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\DisableRestrictedAdmin, which controls whether Restricted Admin mode is enabled. Disabling RestrictedAdmin mode matters because it can allow reusable credentials to be transmitted during Remote Desktop connections, increasing exposure if the remote host is compromised. The detection relies on Windows registry set activity telemetry that records the TargetObject being modified.
references:
  - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/a8e3cf63e97b973a25903d3df9fd55da6252e564/atomics/T1112/T1112.md
  - https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/32905.remote-desktop-services-enable-restricted-admin-mode.aspx
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_lsa_disablerestrictedadmin.yml
author: frack113, Huntrule Team
date: 2023-01-13
modified: 2024-08-23
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1112
logsource:
  product: windows
  category: registry_set
detection:
  selection:
    TargetObject|endswith: System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\DisableRestrictedAdmin
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: high
license: DRL-1.1

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