Sigma rule: Path To Screensaver Binary Modified

Rule

Title

Path To Screensaver Binary Modified

Status

test

Level

medium

Author

Bartlomiej Czyz @bczyz1, oscd.community

Date

2020-10-11

Modified

2021-11-27

File

rules/windows/registry/registry_event/registry_event_modify_screensaver_binary_path.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects value modification of registry key containing path to binary used as screensaver.

Log source

product

windows

category

registry_event

Detection

selection:
    TargetObject|endswith: '\Control Panel\Desktop\SCRNSAVE.EXE' # HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\SCRNSAVE.EXE
filter:
    Image|endswith:
        - '\rundll32.exe'
        - '\explorer.exe'
condition: selection and not filter

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Legitimate modification of screensaver

Tags

• attack.persistence
• attack.privilege-escalation
• attack.t1546.002

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1546.002

References

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1546.002/T1546.002.md
• https://www.welivesecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eset-gazer.pdf

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_event/registry_event_modify_screensaver_binary_path.yml