Powershell Disable Security Monitoring

Name:Powershell Disable Security Monitoring
id:c148a894-dd93-11eb-bf2a-acde48001122
version:11
date:2025-07-10
author:Michael Haag, Nasreddine Bencherchali, Splunk
status:production
type:TTP
Description:The following analytic identifies attempts to disable Windows Defender real-time behavior monitoring via PowerShell commands. It detects the use of specific `Set-MpPreference` parameters that disable various security features. This activity is significant as it is commonly used by malware such as RATs, bots, or Trojans to evade detection by disabling antivirus protections. If confirmed malicious, this action could allow an attacker to operate undetected, leading to potential data exfiltration, further system compromise, or persistent access within the environment.
Data_source:

• -Sysmon EventID 1
• -Windows Event Log Security 4688
• -CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2

search:| tstats `security_content_summariesonly`
count min(_time) as firstTime
max(_time) as lastTime
from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where
`process_powershell`
Processes.process="*Set-MpPreference*"
(
Processes.process IN (
"*DisableArchiveScanning*",
"*DisableBehaviorMonitoring*",
"*DisableBlockAtFirstSeen*",
"*DisableCatchupFullScan*",
"*DisableCatchupQuickScan*",
"*DisableIOAVProtection*",
"*DisableRealtimeMonitoring*",
"*DisableRemovableDriveScanning*",
"*DisableRestorePoint*",
"*DisableScanningMappedNetworkDrivesForFullScan*",
"*DisableScanningNetworkFiles*",
"*DisableScriptScanning*",
"*drdsc*",
"*dsnf *",
"*drtm *",
"*dioavp *",
"*dscrptsc *",
"*dbaf *",
"*darchsc *",
"*dcfsc *",
"*dbm *"
)
Processes.process IN (
"* $true*",
"* 1*"
)
)
OR
(
Processes.process = "*PUAProtection*"
Processes.process = "*disable*"
)
OR
(
Processes.process = "*CloudBlockLevel*"
Processes.process IN (
"* $false*",
"* 0*"
)
)
by Processes.action Processes.dest Processes.original_file_name Processes.parent_process
Processes.parent_process_exec Processes.parent_process_guid Processes.parent_process_id
Processes.parent_process_name Processes.parent_process_path Processes.process Processes.process_exec
Processes.process_guid Processes.process_hash Processes.process_id Processes.process_integrity_level
Processes.process_name Processes.process_path Processes.user Processes.user_id Processes.vendor_product

| `drop_dm_object_name(Processes)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `powershell_disable_security_monitoring_filter`


how_to_implement:The detection is based on data that originates from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents. These agents are designed to provide security-related telemetry from the endpoints where the agent is installed. To implement this search, you must ingest logs that contain the process GUID, process name, and parent process. Additionally, you must ingest complete command-line executions. These logs must be processed using the appropriate Splunk Technology Add-ons that are specific to the EDR product. The logs must also be mapped to the `Processes` node of the `Endpoint` data model. Use the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to normalize the field names and speed up the data modeling process.
known_false_positives:Limited false positives. However, tune based on scripts that may perform this action.
References:
  -https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1562.001/T1562.001.md#atomic-test-15---tamper-with-windows-defender-atp-powershell
  -https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/defender/set-mppreference?view=windowsserver2022-ps
drilldown_searches:
 name:'View the detection results for - "$dest$"'
 search:'%original_detection_search% | search dest = "$dest$"'
 earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$'
 latest_offset:'$info_max_time$'
 name:'View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"'
 search:'| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168 | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
 earliest_offset:'$info_min_time$'
 latest_offset:'$info_max_time$'
tags:
  analytic_story:
    - 'Ransomware'
    - 'Revil Ransomware'
    - 'CISA AA24-241A'
  asset_type:Endpoint
  mitre_attack_id:
    - 'T1562.001'
  product:
    - 'Splunk Enterprise'
    - 'Splunk Enterprise Security'
    - 'Splunk Cloud'
  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/pwh_defender_disabling/windows-sysmon.log
  source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
  sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
manual_test:None