name: Disabling Task Manager
id: dac279bc-9202-11eb-b7fb-acde48001122
version: 2
date: '2022-01-28'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: This search is to identifies modification of registry to disable the
  task manager of windows operating system. this event or technique are commonly seen
  in malware such as RAT, Trojan, TrojanSpy or worm to prevent the user to terminate
  their process.
data_source:
- Sysmon Event ID 13
search:
  selection1:
    Details: '0x00000001'
    TargetObject: '*\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System\\DisableTaskMgr'
  condition: selection1
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information
  on process that include the name of the process responsible for the changes from
  your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Registry` node. Also make sure
  that this registry was included in your config files ex. sysmon config to be monitored.
known_false_positives: admin may disable this application for non technical user.
references:
- https://any.run/report/ea4ea08407d4ee72e009103a3b77e5a09412b722fdef67315ea63f22011152af/a866d7b1-c236-4f26-a391-5ae32213dfc4#registry
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2020/05/threat-roundup-0424-0501.html
tags:
  analytic_story:
  - Windows Defense Evasion Tactics
  - Windows Registry Abuse
  asset_type: Endpoint
  confidence: 60
  impact: 70
  message: The Windows Task Manager was disabled on $dest$ by $user$.
  mitre_attack_id:
  - T1562.001
  - T1562
  observable:
  - name: user
    type: User
    role:
    - Victim
  - name: dest
    type: Hostname
    role:
    - Victim
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  risk_score: 42
  security_domain: endpoint
tests:
- name: True Positive Test
  attack_data:
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-security.log
    source: WinEventLog:Security
    sourcetype: WinEventLog
    update_timestamp: true
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-system.log
    source: WinEventLog:System
    sourcetype: WinEventLog
    update_timestamp: true
  - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-sysmon.log
    source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
    sourcetype: xmlwineventlog