Windows Credential Guard Registry Tampering Via CommandLine
Detects attempts to add, modify, or delete Windows Credential Guard related registry keys or values via command line tools such as Reg.exe or PowerShell. Credential Guard uses virtualization-based security to isolate secrets so that only privileged system software can access them. Adversaries may disable Credential Guard to gain access to sensitive credentials stored in the system, such as NTLM hashes and Kerberos tickets, which can be used for lateral movement and privilege escalation. The rule matches suspicious command lines that target DeviceGuard or LSA registry paths and manipulate keys like EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity, RequirePlatformSecurityFeatures, or LsaCfgFlags. Such activity may indicate an attempt to disable or tamper with Credential Guard, potentially exposing sensitive credentials for misuse.
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Events generated when a new process is spawned on the system. Covers command-line arguments, parent/child relationships, and process metadata.
detection:
selection_img:
- Image|endswith:
- '\powershell.exe'
- '\pwsh.exe'
- '\reg.exe'
- OriginalFileName:
- 'PowerShell.EXE'
- 'pwsh.dll'
- 'reg.exe'
selection_cli:
CommandLine|contains:
# add/modify
- 'add '
- 'New-ItemProperty '
- 'Set-ItemProperty '
- 'si ' # SetItem Alias
# delete
- 'delete '
- 'del '
- 'Remove-ItemProperty '
- 'rp '
selection_key_base:
CommandLine|contains:
- '\Control\DeviceGuard'
- '\Control\LSA'
- 'Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard'
selection_key_specific:
CommandLine|contains:
- 'EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity'
- 'RequirePlatformSecurityFeatures'
- 'LsaCfgFlags'
condition: all of selection_*False positives are unlikely for most environments. High confidence detection.
Tactics
Sub-techniques
Windows Credential Guard Disabled - Registry
Detects attempts to disable Windows Credential Guard by setting registry values to 0. Credential Guard uses virtualization-based security to isolate secrets so that only privileged system software can access them. Adversaries may disable Credential Guard to gain access to sensitive credentials stored in the system, such as NTLM hashes and Kerberos tickets, which can be used for lateral movement and privilege escalation.
Detects similar activity. Both rules may fire on overlapping events.
Windows Credential Guard Related Registry Value Deleted - Registry
Detects attempts to disable Windows Credential Guard by deleting registry values. Credential Guard uses virtualization-based security to isolate secrets so that only privileged system software can access them. Adversaries may disable Credential Guard to gain access to sensitive credentials stored in the system, such as NTLM hashes and Kerberos tickets, which can be used for lateral movement and privilege escalation.
Detects similar activity. Both rules may fire on overlapping events.