splunk-security_content/docs/_posts/2021-03-31-disabling_task_manager.md

title, excerpt, categories, last_modified_at, toc, tags

title	excerpt	categories	last_modified_at	toc	tags
Disabling Task Manager	Disable or Modify Tools	Endpoint	2021-03-31	true	TTP T1562.001 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Evasion Splunk Enterprise Splunk Enterprise Security Splunk Cloud Endpoint Exploitation

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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.

• Type: TTP
• Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud
• Datamodel: Endpoint
• Last Updated: 2021-03-31
• Author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
• ID: dac279bc-9202-11eb-b7fb-acde48001122

ATT&CK

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1562.001	Disable or Modify Tools	Defense Evasion

Search

| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path= "*\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\System\\DisableTaskMgr" Registry.registry_value_name = "DWORD (0x00000001)" by Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_name Registry.dest 
| `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `disabling_task_manager_filter`

Associated Analytic Story

• Windows Defense Evasion Tactics

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.

Required field

• _time
• Registry.registry_key_name
• Registry.registry_path
• Registry.user
• Registry.dest
• Registry.registry_value_name

Kill Chain Phase

• Exploitation

Known False Positives

admin may disable this application for non technical user.

RBA

Risk Score	Impact	Confidence	Message
42.0	70	60	The Windows Task Manager was disabled on dest by user.

Reference

• https://any.run/report/ea4ea08407d4ee72e009103a3b77e5a09412b722fdef67315ea63f22011152af/a866d7b1-c236-4f26-a391-5ae32213dfc4#registry
• https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2020/05/threat-roundup-0424-0501.html

Test Dataset

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

• https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-security.log
• https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-system.log
• https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1562.001/win_app_defender_disabling/windows-sysmon.log

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