huntrule

Windows Registry EventLog Service File Location Tampering

Flags registry modifications that change the EventLog service’s configured log file location on Windows.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
registry_set
Author
D3F7A5105 (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2023-01-02
Updated
2026-07-30
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 identifies registry changes that affect the EventLog service file location by matching keys under SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\ and values ending with \File. Attackers may use this to redirect where .evtx logs are written, impairing log collection and alerting. The detection relies on registry set telemetry capturing the TargetObject and additional Details content for exclusion.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685.001 — drag to rearrange
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Malicious SQL Server Database Auditing Deactivated (via application)
Malicious Audit Policy Disabled by Command Line (via security)
Malicious Event Log Tampering via wevtutil Channel Disable by FunkSec Ransomware (via process_creation)
OCSP Responder Auditing Settings Changed or Disabled (via security)
Windows Registry EventLog Service File Location Tampering
Pivot detection · T1685.001 · 9 related

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