Windows Remote Services Rdp Enable

Original Source: [splunk source]
Name:Windows Remote Services Rdp Enable
id:8fbd2e88-4ea5-40b9-9217-fd0855e08cc0
version:6
date:2025-03-14
author:Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status:production
type:TTP
Description:The following analytic detects modifications in the Windows registry to enable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on a targeted machine. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry datamodel, specifically monitoring changes to the "fDenyTSConnections" registry value. This activity is significant as enabling RDP via registry is uncommon and often associated with adversaries or malware attempting to gain remote access. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to remotely control the compromised host, potentially leading to further exploitation and lateral movement within the network.
Data_source:
  • -Sysmon EventID 13
search:| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime FROM datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path= "*\\Control\\Terminal Server\\fDenyTSConnections*" Registry.registry_value_data="0x00000000" by Registry.action Registry.dest Registry.process_guid Registry.process_id Registry.registry_hive Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_type Registry.status Registry.user Registry.vendor_product
| `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)`
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `windows_remote_services_rdp_enable_filter`


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:administrators may enable or disable this feature that may cause some false positive.
References:
  -https://www.hybrid-analysis.com/sample/9d6611c2779316f1ef4b4a6edcfdfb5e770fe32b31ec2200df268c3bd236ed75?environmentId=100
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:
    - 'Medusa Ransomware'
    - 'BlackSuit Ransomware'
    - 'Azorult'
  asset_type:Endpoint
  mitre_attack_id:
    - 'T1021.001'
  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/malware/azorult/sysmon.log
  source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
  sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
manual_test:None