Windows Modify Registry Auto Minor Updates

name: Windows Modify Registry Auto Minor Updates
id: be498b9f-d804-4bbf-9fc0-d5448466b313
version: 9
creation_date: '2023-04-26'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Hunting
description: The following analytic identifies a suspicious modification to the Windows auto update configuration registry. It detects changes to the registry path "*\\SOFTWARE\\Policies\\Microsoft\\Windows\\WindowsUpdate\\AU\\AutoInstallMinorUpdates" with a value of "0x00000000". This activity is significant as it is commonly used by adversaries, including malware like RedLine Stealer, to bypass detection and deploy additional payloads. If confirmed malicious, this modification could allow attackers to evade defenses, potentially leading to further system compromise and exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 13
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path="*\\SOFTWARE\\Policies\\Microsoft\\Windows\\WindowsUpdate\\AU\\AutoInstallMinorUpdates" AND Registry.registry_value_data="0x00000000" by Registry.action Registry.dest Registry.process_guid Registry.process_id Registry.registry_hive Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_type Registry.status Registry.user Registry.vendor_product | `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `windows_modify_registry_auto_minor_updates_filter`'
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the process responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Processes` node. In addition, confirm the latest CIM App 4.20 or higher is installed and the latest TA for the endpoint product.
known_false_positives: administrators may enable or disable this feature that may cause some false positive.
references:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/de-de/security-updates/windowsupdateservices/18127499
analytic_story:
    - RedLine Stealer
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1112
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/malware/redline/modify_registry/sysmon.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit