Windows Registry: Tamper Protection Disabled in Microsoft Defender Features

Flags registry changes that set Microsoft Defender Tamper Protection to disabled (DWORD 0x0), excluding expected MsMpEng update activity.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1

Product: windows
Category: registry_set
Author: Austin Songer @austinsonger (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2021-08-04
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 identifies changes to the registry value controlling Microsoft Defender Tamper Protection by matching the TamperProtection feature key and a DWORD value of 0x00000000. Disabling Tamper Protection can weaken host protections and may allow malicious security settings to persist or be modified. The detection relies on registry-set telemetry capturing the targeted key path and the associated DWORD value, with exclusions for MsMpEng.exe scenarios that occur during updates.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1685 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious WMI Query Against Windows Defender Namespace via wmic (via process_creation)

Malicious Microsoft Defender Tampering via PowerShell Preference Cmdlets

Suspicious Windows Defender Exclusion via Add-MpPreference (via process_creation)

Malicious Windows Defender Service Tampering via PowerShell (via process_creation)

Windows Defender Disabled via DisableAntiSpyware Registry Key

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

Windows Registry: Tamper Protection Disabled in Microsoft Defender Features

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-tamper-protection-disabled-in-microsoft-defender-features-93d298a1

title: "Windows Registry: Tamper Protection Disabled in Microsoft Defender Features"
id: 7452d17f-fd48-4069-94d0-a5016a6dd861
status: test
description: This rule identifies changes to the registry value controlling Microsoft Defender Tamper Protection by matching the TamperProtection feature key and a DWORD value of 0x00000000. Disabling Tamper Protection can weaken host protections and may allow malicious security settings to persist or be modified. The detection relies on registry-set telemetry capturing the targeted key path and the associated DWORD value, with exclusions for MsMpEng.exe scenarios that occur during updates.
references:
  - https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/123792-turn-off-tamper-protection-microsoft-defender-antivirus.html
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_disabled_tamper_protection_on_microsoft_defender.yml
author: Austin Songer @austinsonger, Huntrule Team
date: 2021-08-04
modified: 2023-08-17
tags:
  - attack.defense-impairment
  - attack.t1685
logsource:
  category: registry_set
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    TargetObject|contains: \Microsoft\Windows Defender\Features\TamperProtection
    Details: DWORD (0x00000000)
  filter_msmpeng_client:
    Image|startswith: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\
    Image|endswith: \MsMpEng.exe
  filter_msmpeng_domain_controller:
    Image: C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MsMpEng.exe
  condition: selection and not 1 of filter_*
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 93d298a1-d28f-47f1-a468-d971e7796679
    type: derived

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