Sigma rule: Windows Default Domain GPO Modification

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-28183d39d84b, updated 2025-11-22T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Windows Default Domain GPO Modification
Status
experimental
Level
medium
Author
Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
Date
2025-11-22
File
rules/windows/builtin/security/win_security_default_domain_gpo_modification.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects modifications to Default Domain or Default Domain Controllers Group Policy Objects (GPOs).
Adversaries may modify these default GPOs to deploy malicious configurations across the domain.

Log source

product
windows
service
security
definition
Enable 'Audit Directory Service Changes' in the Default Domain Controllers Policy under: Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Advanced Audit Policy Configuration -> Audit Policies -> DS Access -> Audit Directory Service Changes (Success). Additionally, proper SACL needs to be configured on the 'CN=Policies,CN=System,DC=<domain>,DC=<tld>' container in Active Directory to capture changes to Group Policy Objects.

Detection

selection:
    EventID: 5136
    ObjectClass: 'groupPolicyContainer'
    ObjectDN|startswith:
        - 'CN={31B2F340-016D-11D2-945F-00C04FB984F9},CN=POLICIES,CN=SYSTEM' # Default Domain Policy
        - 'CN={6AC1786C-016F-11D2-945F-00C04FB984F9},CN=POLICIES,CN=SYSTEM' # Default Domain Controllers Policy
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate modifications to Default Domain or Default Domain Controllers GPOs

Tags

  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.defense-impairment
  • attack.t1484.001

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

Related rules

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/builtin/security/win_security_default_domain_gpo_modification.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Windows Default Domain GPO Modification" by Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/builtin/security/win_security_default_domain_gpo_modification.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: Windows Default Domain GPO Modification",
entity page, dataset version ref-28183d39d84b, updated 2025-11-22T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/e5ac86dd-2da1-454b-be74-05d26c769d7d (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule e5ac86dd-2da1-454b-be74-05d26c769d7d, 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.