Suspicious BootExecute Registry Modification
Description
Boot Execute allows native applications with the NtProcessStartup entry point and depends solely on ntdll.dll to run prior to the complete initialization of the Windows operating system. Adversaries may abuse this time window to tamper with endpoint security services prior they get a chance to start.
Query · eql
registry where event.action == "modification" and
registry.path : "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet*\\Control\\Session Manager\\BootExecute" and
process.executable != null and registry.data.strings : "??*" and
not (process.code_signature.trusted == true and
process.code_signature.subject_name in ("NortonLifeLock Inc.", "Avast Software s.r.o.", "AOMEI International Network Limited",
"QUICK HEAL TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED", "Glarysoft Ltd", "AVG Technologies USA, LLC",
"VMware, Inc.", "Glarysoft LTD", "Omnissa, LLC", "Bitdefender SRL", "Symantec Corporation",
"PIRIFORM SOFTWARE LIMITED", "CHENGDU AOMEI Tech Co., Ltd.", "Gen Digital Inc.")) and
not process.executable : ("C:\\Windows\\System32\\chkdsk.exe",
"C:\\Windows\\System32\\fsavailux.exe",
"C:\\Windows\\System32\\msiexec.exe",
"C:\\Windows\\regedit.exe") and
not registry.data.strings :
("autocheck autochk ?", "autocheck autoche ?", "autocheck autochk /k:? /k:? ?", "autocheck autochk /k:C /k:D /k:G ?",
"autocheck autochk /q /v /k:? ?", "autocheck autochk /q /v /k:? *", "autocheck autochk /q /v ?",
"autocheck autochk /r \\??\\C:", "autocheck autochk /p \\??\\C:", "autocheck autochk /?:C ?", "autocheck autochk /q /v ")