Sigma rule: Windows EventLog Autologger Session Registry Modification Via CommandLine

Rule

Title

Windows EventLog Autologger Session Registry Modification Via CommandLine

Status

experimental

Level

high

Author

Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)

Date

2025-12-25

File

rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_autologger_session_registry_modification.yml

Commit

ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects attempts to disable Windows EventLog autologger sessions via registry modification.
The AutoLogger event tracing session records events that occur early in the operating system boot process.
Applications and device drivers can use the AutoLogger session to capture traces before the user logs in.
Adversaries may disable these sessions to evade detection and prevent security monitoring of early boot activities and system events.

Log source

product

windows

category

process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith:
          - '\reg.exe'
          - '\powershell.exe'
          - '\pwsh.exe'
    - OriginalFileName:
          - 'reg.exe'
          - 'PowerShell.EXE'
          - 'pwsh.dll'
selection_cli_action:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'add '
        - 'Set-ItemProperty'
        - 'New-ItemProperty'
        - 'si ' # Set-ItemProperty alias
selection_cli_base:
    CommandLine|contains: '\Control\WMI\Autologger\'
selection_cli_key:
    CommandLine|contains:
        - 'Start' # Key used to disable specific autologger session like EventLog-Application, EventLog-System etc.
        - 'Enabled' # Key used to disable specific provider of autologger session
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

• Unknown

Tags

• attack.defense-impairment
• attack.t1685.001

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

• T1685.001

Related rules

• f37b4bce-49d0-4087-9f5b-58bffda77316 (similar)

References

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/etw/configuring-and-starting-an-autologger-session
• https://ptylu.github.io/content/report/report.html?report=25
• https://blog.palantir.com/tampering-with-windows-event-tracing-background-offense-and-defense-4be7ac62ac63

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/process_creation/proc_creation_win_autologger_session_registry_modification.yml