Detect Active Setup in Google Chronicle
Adversaries may achieve persistence by adding a Registry key to the Active Setup of the local machine. Active Setup is a Windows mechanism that is used to execute programs when a user logs in. The value stored in the Registry key will be executed after a user logs into the computer. These programs will be executed under the context of the user and will have the account's associated permissions level. Adversaries may abuse Active Setup by creating a key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\ and setting a malicious value for StubPath. This value will serve as the program that will be executed when a user logs into the computer. Adversaries can abuse these components to execute malware, such as remote access tools, to maintain persistence through system reboots.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Persistence Privilege Escalation
- Technique
- T1547 Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- Sub-technique
- T1547.014 Active Setup
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/014/
YARA-L Detection Query
rule active_setup_persistence_t1547_014 {
meta:
author = "Detection Engineering"
description = "Detects Active Setup persistence via malicious StubPath registry modification under HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Active Setup\\Installed Components"
mitre_attack_tactic = "Persistence"
mitre_attack_technique = "T1547.014"
severity = "HIGH"
confidence = "HIGH"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/014/"
events:
$e.metadata.event_type = "REGISTRY_MODIFICATION"
re.regex($e.target.registry.registry_key, `(?i)SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Active Setup\\Installed Components`)
(
$e.target.registry.registry_value_name = /(?i)^StubPath$/ or
re.regex($e.target.registry.registry_key, `(?i)\\StubPath$`)
)
(
re.regex($e.target.registry.registry_value_data, `(?i)(cmd\.exe|powershell|mshta\.exe|rundll32|regsvr32|wscript|cscript|certutil|\.bat|\.vbs|\.js|\.hta|https?://)`) or
not re.regex($e.target.registry.registry_key, `(?i)(89820200-ECBD|22d6f312-b0f6|2C7339CF-2B09|44BBA840-CC51|6BF52A52-394A|89B4C1CD-B018)`)
)
condition:
$e
}Chronicle YARA-L 2.0 rule detecting Active Setup persistence (T1547.014) by monitoring UDM REGISTRY_MODIFICATION events targeting the Active Setup Installed Components registry path. Triggers on StubPath value modifications containing suspicious executable references (PowerShell, mshta, rundll32, remote URLs) or registry key creation using GUIDs not matching known Microsoft component identifiers.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Microsoft Windows Update processes modifying existing Active Setup keys for Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, or .NET Framework components during OS patching
- Legitimate software vendors (e.g., Adobe, Oracle) using Active Setup to trigger per-user first-run configuration tasks with scripted StubPath values referencing cmd.exe or msiexec
- Corporate imaging or provisioning scripts that pre-stage custom Active Setup entries using PowerShell-based StubPath values for user environment initialization
Other platforms for T1547.014
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Active Setup StubPath Persistence with Custom GUID
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 12: Registry Key Created for the GUID subkey. Sysmon Event ID 13: Registry Value Set for StubPath, ComponentID, and Version values. Security Event ID 4688: Process creation for reg.exe with the full command line.
- Test 2Active Setup with Suspicious LOLBin StubPath
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 13: Registry Value Set with Details containing 'cmd.exe /c'. On next user logon: Sysmon Event ID 1 for cmd.exe spawned by userinit.exe/explorer.exe. Sysmon Event ID 11 for file creation in %TEMP%.
- Test 3Active Setup via PowerShell Registry Manipulation
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create for powershell.exe with the registry manipulation command. Sysmon Event ID 12: Registry Key Created. Sysmon Event ID 13: Registry Value Set for StubPath and Version. PowerShell ScriptBlock Log Event ID 4104 with the full script.
References (8)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/014/
- https://helgeklein.com/blog/2010/04/active-setup-explained/
- https://digital-forensics.sans.org/summit-archives/2010/35-glyer-apt-persistence-mechanisms.pdf
- https://citizenlab.ca/2015/12/packrat-report/
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-tropic-trooper-targets-taiwanese-government-and-fossil-fuel-provider-with-poison-ivy/
- https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1547.014/T1547.014.md
- https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/tree/master/rules/windows/registry/registry_set
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