Sigma rule: ETW Logging Disabled For rpcrt4.dll

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-f3df45770eed, updated 2023-08-17T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
ETW Logging Disabled For rpcrt4.dll
Status
test
Level
low
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-12-09
Modified
2023-08-17
File
rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_rpcrt4_etw_tamper.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects changes to the "ExtErrorInformation" key in order to disable ETW logging for rpcrt4.dll

Log source

product
windows
category
registry_set

Detection

selection:
    TargetObject|endswith: '\Microsoft\Windows NT\Rpc\ExtErrorInformation'
    Details:
        # This is disabled by default for some reason
        - 'DWORD (0x00000000)' # Off
        - 'DWORD (0x00000002)' # Off with exceptions
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.persistence
  • attack.defense-impairment
  • attack.t1112
  • attack.t1685

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

  • http://redplait.blogspot.com/2020/07/whats-wrong-with-etw.html

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_rpcrt4_etw_tamper.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "ETW Logging Disabled For rpcrt4.dll" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_rpcrt4_etw_tamper.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: ETW Logging Disabled For rpcrt4.dll",
entity page, dataset version ref-f3df45770eed, updated 2023-08-17T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/90f342e1-1aaa-4e43-b092-39fda57ed11e (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 90f342e1-1aaa-4e43-b092-39fda57ed11e, 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.