---
title: "Windows Disable Memory Crash Dump"
excerpt: "Data Destruction"
categories:
  - Endpoint
last_modified_at: 2022-02-25
toc: true
toc_label: ""
tags:
  - Data Destruction
  - Impact
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  - Endpoint
---



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#### Description

The following analytic identifies a process that is attempting to disable the ability on Windows to generate a memory crash dump. This was recently identified being utilized by HermeticWiper. To disable crash dumps, the value must be set to 0. This feature is typically modified to perform a memory crash dump when a computer stops unexpectedly because of a Stop error (also known as a blue screen, system crash, or bug check).

- **Type**: [TTP](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/wiki/Detection-Analytic-Types)
- **Product**: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
- **Datamodel**: [Endpoint](https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/CIM/latest/User/Endpoint)
- **Last Updated**: 2022-02-25
- **Author**: Michael Haag, Splunk
- **ID**: 59e54602-9680-11ec-a8a6-acde48001122


#### [ATT&CK](https://attack.mitre.org/)

| ID             | Technique        |  Tactic             |
| -------------- | ---------------- |-------------------- |
| [T1485](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1485/) | Data Destruction | Impact |

#### Search

```

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where (Registry.registry_path="*\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\CrashControl\\CrashDumpEnabled") AND Registry.registry_value_data="0x00000000" by _time span=1h Registry.dest Registry.user Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.process_guid Registry.registry_key_name  
| `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` 
|join process_guid [
| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Processes by _time span=1h Processes.process_id Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.dest Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process Processes.process_guid 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`  
| fields _time dest user parent_process_name parent_process process_name process_path process process_guid registry_path registry_value_name registry_value_data registry_key_name] 
| table _time dest user parent_process_name parent_process process_name process_path process process_guid registry_path registry_value_name registry_value_data registry_key_name 
| `windows_disable_memory_crash_dump_filter`
```

#### Macros
The SPL above uses the following Macros:
* [security_content_summariesonly](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/blob/develop/macros/security_content_summariesonly.yml)

Note that `windows_disable_memory_crash_dump_filter` is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

#### Required field
* _time
* Filesystem.file_create_time
* Filesystem.process_id
* Filesystem.file_name
* Filesystem.user
* Filesystem.file_path
* Filesystem.dest
* Processes.process_id
* Processes.process_name
* Processes.process
* Processes.dest
* Processes.parent_process_name
* Processes.parent_process
* Processes.process_guid


#### How To Implement
To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the Filesystem responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Filesystem` and `Registry` node.

#### Known False Positives
unknown

#### Associated Analytic story
* [Data Destruction](/stories/data_destruction)
* [Ransomware](/stories/ransomware)
* [Hermetic Wiper](/stories/hermetic_wiper)


#### Kill Chain Phase
* Exploitation



#### RBA

| Risk Score  | Impact      | Confidence   | Message      |
| ----------- | ----------- |--------------|--------------|
| 90.0 | 90 | 100 | A process $process_name$ was identified attempting to disable memory crash dumps on $dest$. |


Note that risk score is calculated base on the following formula: `(Impact * Confidence)/100`



#### Reference

* [https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2022/02/threat-advisory-hermeticwiper.html](https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2022/02/threat-advisory-hermeticwiper.html)
* [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/memory-dump-file-options](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/memory-dump-file-options)



#### Test Dataset
Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our [`replay.py`](https://github.com/splunk/attack_data#using-replaypy) tool or the [UI](https://github.com/splunk/attack_data#using-ui).
Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a [Splunk Attack Range](https://github.com/splunk/attack_range#replay-dumps-into-attack-range-splunk-server)

* [https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/malware/hermetic_wiper/sysmon.log](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/malware/hermetic_wiper/sysmon.log)



[*source*](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/tree/develop/detections/endpoint/windows_disable_memory_crash_dump.yml) \| *version*: **1**