Desktop.INI Created by Uncommon Process

 1title: Desktop.INI Created by Uncommon Process
 2id: 81315b50-6b60-4d8f-9928-3466e1022515
 3status: test
 4description: Detects unusual processes accessing desktop.ini, which can be leveraged to alter how Explorer displays a folder's content (i.e. renaming files) without changing them on disk.
 5references:
 6    - https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Desktopini+as+a+postexploitation+tool/25912/
 7author: Maxime Thiebaut (@0xThiebaut), Tim Shelton (HAWK.IO)
 8date: 2020-03-19
 9modified: 2025-12-09
10tags:
11    - attack.privilege-escalation
12    - attack.persistence
13    - attack.t1547.009
14logsource:
15    product: windows
16    category: file_event
17detection:
18    selection:
19        TargetFilename|endswith: '\desktop.ini'
20    filter_main_generic:
21        Image|startswith:
22            - 'C:\Windows\'
23            - 'C:\Program Files\'
24            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\'
25    filter_main_upgrade:
26        TargetFilename|startswith: 'C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\NewOS\'
27    filter_optional_jetbrains:
28        Image|startswith: 'C:\Users\'
29        Image|endswith: '\AppData\Local\JetBrains\Toolbox\bin\7z.exe'
30        TargetFilename|contains: '\JetBrains\apps\'
31    filter_optional_onedrive:
32        Image|startswith: 'C:\Users\'
33        Image|contains: '\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\'
34    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
35falsepositives:
36    - Operations performed through Windows SCCM or equivalent
37    - Read only access list authority
38level: medium