Sigma rule: DNS-over-HTTPS Enabled by Registry

Rule

Title

DNS-over-HTTPS Enabled by Registry

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

Austin Songer

Date

2021-07-22

Modified

2023-08-17

File

rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_dns_over_https_enabled.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects when a user enables DNS-over-HTTPS.
This can be used to hide internet activity or be used to hide the process of exfiltrating data.
With this enabled organization will lose visibility into data such as query type, response and originating IP that are used to determine bad actors.

Log source

product

windows

category

registry_set

Detection

selection_edge:
    TargetObject|endswith: '\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\BuiltInDnsClientEnabled'
    Details: DWORD (0x00000001)
selection_chrome:
    TargetObject|endswith: '\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\DnsOverHttpsMode'
    Details: 'secure'
selection_firefox:
    TargetObject|endswith: '\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\DNSOverHTTPS\Enabled'
    Details: DWORD (0x00000001)
condition: 1 of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unlikely

Tags

• attack.persistence
• attack.stealth
• attack.defense-impairment
• attack.t1140
• attack.t1112

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1112
• T1140

References

• https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/151318-how-enable-disable-dns-over-https-doh-microsoft-edge.html
• https://github.com/elastic/detection-rules/issues/1371
• https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/?policy=DnsOverHttpsMode
• https://admx.help/HKLM/Software/Policies/Mozilla/Firefox/DNSOverHTTPS

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_dns_over_https_enabled.yml