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MediumSplunk security contentMauricio Velazco +2

Print Spooler Failed to Load a Plug-in

The following analytic detects driver load errors in the Windows PrintService Admin logs, specifically identifying issues related to CVE-2021-34527 (PrintNightmare). It triggers on error messages indicating the print…

Description

The following analytic detects driver load errors in the Windows PrintService Admin logs, specifically identifying issues related to CVE-2021-34527 (PrintNightmare). It triggers on error messages indicating the print spooler failed to load a plug-in module, such as "meterpreter.dll," with error code 0x45A. This detection method leverages specific event codes and error messages. This activity is significant as it may indicate an exploitation attempt of a known vulnerability. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain unauthorized code execution on the affected system, leading to potential system compromise.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
Windows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.

Log source category
windows_event_log_printservice_4909windows_event_log_printservice_808

Known benign triggers

  • False positives are unknown and filtering may be required.

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