Sigma rule: ScreenSaver Registry Key Set

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-f57d7c0c2a65, updated 2023-08-17T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title: ScreenSaver Registry Key Set
Status: test
Level: medium
Author: Jose Luis Sanchez Martinez (@Joseliyo_Jstnk)
Date: 2022-05-04
Modified: 2023-08-17
File: rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_scr_file_executed_by_rundll32.yml
Commit: ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects registry key established after masqueraded .scr file execution using Rundll32 through desk.cpl

Log source

product: windows
category: registry_set

Detection

selection:
    Image|endswith: '\rundll32.exe'
registry:
    TargetObject|contains: '\Control Panel\Desktop\SCRNSAVE.EXE'
    Details|endswith: '.scr'
filter:
    Details|contains:
        - 'C:\Windows\System32\'
        - 'C:\Windows\SysWOW64\'
condition: selection and registry and not filter

False positives (as the rule lists them)

Legitimate use of screen saver

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

T1218.011

References

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_scr_file_executed_by_rundll32.yml

Sources and licences

SigmaHQ
"ScreenSaver Registry Key Set" by Jose Luis Sanchez Martinez (@Joseliyo_Jstnk) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_scr_file_executed_by_rundll32.yml.
Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License
Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: ScreenSaver Registry Key Set",
entity page, dataset version ref-f57d7c0c2a65, updated 2023-08-17T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/40b6e656-4e11-4c0c-8772-c1cc6dae34ce (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 40b6e656-4e11-4c0c-8772-c1cc6dae34ce, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.