---
title: "Disable Logs Using WevtUtil"
excerpt: "Indicator Removal on Host, Clear Windows Event Logs"
categories:
  - Endpoint
last_modified_at: 2021-06-10
toc: true
toc_label: ""
tags:
  - Indicator Removal on Host
  - Defense Evasion
  - Clear Windows Event Logs
  - Defense Evasion
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  - Endpoint
---



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#### Description

This search is to detect execution of wevtutil.exe to disable logs. This technique was seen in several ransomware to disable the event logs to evade alerts and detections.

- **Type**: TTP
- **Product**: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
- **Datamodel**: [Endpoint](https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/CIM/latest/User/Endpoint)
- **Last Updated**: 2021-06-10
- **Author**: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
- **ID**: 236e7c8e-c9d9-11eb-a824-acde48001122


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

| ID          | Technique   | Tactic         |
| ----------- | ----------- |--------------- |
| [T1070](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1070/) | Indicator Removal on Host | Defense Evasion |

| [T1070.001](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1070/001/) | Clear Windows Event Logs | Defense Evasion |

#### Search

```

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where Processes.process_name = "wevtutil.exe" Processes.process = "*sl*" Processes.process = "*/e:false*" by Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process Processes.process_name Processes.process Processes.dest Processes.user Processes.process_id Processes.process_guid 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `disable_logs_using_wevtutil_filter`
```

#### Associated Analytic Story
* [Ransomware](/stories/ransomware)


#### How To Implement
To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the process name, parent process, and command-line executions from your endpoints. If you are using Sysmon, you must have at least version 6.0.4 of the Sysmon TA.

#### Required field
* _time
* Processes.parent_process_name
* Processes.parent_process
* Processes.process_name
* Processes.process
* Processes.dest
* Processes.user
* Processes.process_id
* Processes.process_guid


#### Kill Chain Phase
* Exploitation


#### Known False Positives
network operator may disable audit event logs for debugging purposes.


#### RBA

| Risk Score  | Impact      | Confidence   | Message      |
| ----------- | ----------- |--------------|--------------|
| 24.0 | 30 | 80 | WevtUtil.exe used to disable Event Logging on $dest |




#### Reference

* [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-ransom-x-ransomware-used-in-texas-txdot-cyberattack/](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-ransom-x-ransomware-used-in-texas-txdot-cyberattack/)



#### 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/ransomware_ttp/data1/windows-sysmon.log](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/malware/ransomware_ttp/data1/windows-sysmon.log)



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