MediumSplunk security content Nasreddine Bencherchali +1

Windows Registry Dotnet ETW Disabled Via ENV Variable

Description

The following analytic detects a registry modification that disables the ETW for the .NET Framework. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry data model, specifically monitoring changes to the COMPlus_ETWEnabled registry value under the "Environment" registry key path for both user (HKCU\Environment) and machine (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment) scopes. This activity is significant because disabling ETW can allow attackers to evade Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools and hide their execution from audit logs. If confirmed malicious, this action could enable attackers to operate undetected, potentially leading to further compromise and persistent access within the environment.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform: Containers ESXi IaaS Linux macOS Network Devices Windows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.
Log source category: sysmon_eventid_13

Known benign triggers

Setting the "COMPlus_ETWEnabled" value as a global environment variable either in user or machine scope should only happen during debugging use cases, hence the false positives rate should be very minimal.

References

Links the source published beside this detection. Reference is the link the source wrote, unmodified. Class is decided by this catalogue from the host and path, not stated by the source. Cited by counts published detections citing the same resource, including this one, and the sources beneath it count the repositories this catalogue ingests, which is not the same as independent research.
Reference	Class	Cited by
attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/006/	Taxonomy	Only this detection cites it
blog.xpnsec.com/hiding-your-dotnet-complus-etwenabled/	Unclassified	3from 2 sources
gist.github.com/Cyb3rWard0g/a4a115fd3ab518a0e593525a379adee3	Tool	2
github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/388942adbd9641f4dfdcf079d7efe9a75ec0ac43/atomics/T1685/T1685.yaml#L1621	Detection test	10
github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/388942adbd9641f4dfdcf079d7efe9a75ec0ac43/atomics/T1685/T1685.yaml#L1630	Detection test	10
github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/388942adbd9641f4dfdcf079d7efe9a75ec0ac43/atomics/T1685/T1685.yaml#L1639	Detection test	10
github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/388942adbd9641f4dfdcf079d7efe9a75ec0ac43/atomics/T1685/T1685.yaml#L1649	Detection test	10

Detection rules

Windows Registry Dotnet ETW Disabled Via ENV Variable

Description

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Known benign triggers

MITRE ATT&CK mappings

References

From the source

Licence

Authorship

Detection rules