huntrule

Windows Registry: UAC notification disabled via UACDisableNotify set to DWORD 0x00000001

Alerts on registry changes that disable UAC notifications by setting UACDisableNotify to 0x00000001 on Windows.

FreeUnreviewedSigmamediumv1
title: "Windows Registry: UAC notification disabled via UACDisableNotify set to DWORD 0x00000001"
id: 2ace7c91-f4c4-4dc0-a310-77222c5deef2
related:
  - id: 0d7ceeef-3539-4392-8953-3dc664912714
    type: similar
  - id: 48437c39-9e5f-47fb-af95-3d663c3f2919
    type: similar
  - id: c5f6a85d-b647-40f7-bbad-c10b66bab038
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags changes to the Windows registry that set the UACDisableNotify value under the UAC notification path to DWORD 0x00000001. Suppressing UAC notifications can help an attacker reduce user prompts and make it easier to carry out actions that would otherwise require user or administrator consent. It relies on telemetry from registry set events that capture the target registry path and the written DWORD data.
references:
  - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/7e11e9b79583545f208a6dc3fa062f2ed443d999/atomics/T1548.002/T1548.002.md
  - https://securityintelligence.com/x-force/x-force-hive0129-targeting-financial-institutions-latam-banking-trojan/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_uac_disable_notification.yml
author: frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2024-05-10
tags:
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.t1548.002
logsource:
  category: registry_set
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    TargetObject|contains: \Microsoft\Security Center\UACDisableNotify
    Details: DWORD (0x00000001)
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1

What it detects

This rule flags changes to the Windows registry that set the UACDisableNotify value under the UAC notification path to DWORD 0x00000001. Suppressing UAC notifications can help an attacker reduce user prompts and make it easier to carry out actions that would otherwise require user or administrator consent. It relies on telemetry from registry set events that capture the target registry path and the written DWORD data.

Known false positives

  • Unknown

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