---
title: "Disabling Remote User Account Control"
excerpt: "Bypass User Account Control, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism"
categories:
  - Endpoint
last_modified_at: 2020-11-18
toc: true
toc_label: ""
tags:
  - Bypass User Account Control
  - Privilege Escalation
  - Defense Evasion
  - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
  - Privilege Escalation
  - Defense Evasion
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
---



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#### Description

The search looks for modifications to registry keys that control the enforcement of Windows User Account Control (UAC).

- **Type**: [TTP](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/wiki/Detection-Analytic-Types)
- **Product**: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
- **Datamodel**: 
- **Last Updated**: 2020-11-18
- **Author**: David Dorsey, Patrick Bareiss, Splunk
- **ID**: bbc644bc-37df-4e1a-9c88-ec9a53e2038c


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

| ID             | Technique        |  Tactic             |
| -------------- | ---------------- |-------------------- |
| [T1548.002](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1548/002/) | Bypass User Account Control | Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion |

| [T1548](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1548/) | Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism | Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion |

#### Search

```

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path=*HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System\\EnableLUA* Registry.registry_value_data="0x00000000" by Registry.dest, Registry.registry_key_name Registry.user Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_value_data Registry.action 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` 
| `disabling_remote_user_account_control_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 `disabling_remote_user_account_control_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
* Registry.registry_path
* Registry.registry_value_name
* Registry.dest
* Registry.registry_key_name
* Registry.user
* Registry.action


#### How To Implement
To successfully implement this search, you must be ingesting data that records registry activity from your hosts to populate the endpoint data model in the registry node. This is typically populated via endpoint detection-and-response product, such as Carbon Black, or via other endpoint data sources, such as Sysmon. The data used for this search is typically generated via logs that report registry modifications.

#### Known False Positives
This registry key may be modified via administrators to implement a change in system policy. This type of change should be a very rare occurrence.

#### Associated Analytic story
* [Windows Defense Evasion Tactics](/stories/windows_defense_evasion_tactics)
* [Suspicious Windows Registry Activities](/stories/suspicious_windows_registry_activities)
* [Remcos](/stories/remcos)


#### Kill Chain Phase
* Actions on Objectives



#### RBA

| Risk Score  | Impact      | Confidence   | Message      |
| ----------- | ----------- |--------------|--------------|
| 42.0 | 70 | 60 | The Windows registry keys that control the enforcement of Windows User Account Control (UAC) were modified on $dest$ by $user$. |


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



#### Reference


#### 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/attack_techniques/T1548.002/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1548.002/atomic_red_team/windows-sysmon.log)



[*source*](https://github.com/splunk/security_content/tree/develop/detections/endpoint/disabling_remote_user_account_control.yml) \| *version*: **4**