Windows Registry: Exploit Guard ProtectedFolders Value Deleted

Alerts on deletion of registry values under Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access ProtectedFolders.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v1

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

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 value deletions where the TargetObject path contains the Windows Defender Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access ProtectedFolders list. Removing entries from this list can reduce protection for selected folders, potentially enabling processes an attacker wants to run. It relies on Windows Registry delete-value events (EventType=DeleteValue) with the affected TargetObject containing the ProtectedFolders registry location.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685 — drag to rearrange

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

Malicious Disabling of Microsoft Defender Real-Time Protection via SystemSettingsAdminFlows by DeadLock Ransomware

Suspicious Security Software Uninstallation via WMIC Product Call Uninstall (Chaos Ransomware)

Suspicious Security Product Uninstall via wmic product call uninstall

Windows Registry: Exploit Guard ProtectedFolders Value Deleted

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-registry-exploit-guard-protectedfolders-value-deleted-272e55a4

title: "Windows Registry: Exploit Guard ProtectedFolders Value Deleted"
id: f931145c-1c7f-4097-879c-8f2a58ea0b6b
status: test
description: This rule flags registry value deletions where the TargetObject path contains the Windows Defender Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access ProtectedFolders list. Removing entries from this list can reduce protection for selected folders, potentially enabling processes an attacker wants to run. It relies on Windows Registry delete-value events (EventType=DeleteValue) with the affected TargetObject containing the ProtectedFolders registry location.
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_delete/registry_delete_exploit_guard_protected_folders.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2022-08-05
modified: 2023-02-08
tags:
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1685
logsource:
  category: registry_delete
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    EventType: DeleteValue
    TargetObject|contains: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Exploit Guard\Controlled Folder Access\ProtectedFolders
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate administrators removing applications (should always be investigated)
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 272e55a4-9e6b-4211-acb6-78f51f0b1b40
    type: derived

Convert

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

SplunkSPL