Potential COM Object Hijacking Via TreatAs Subkey - Registry

 1title: Potential COM Object Hijacking Via TreatAs Subkey - Registry
 2id: 9b0f8a61-91b2-464f-aceb-0527e0a45020
 3status: test
 4description: Detects COM object hijacking via TreatAs subkey
 5references:
 6    - https://bohops.com/2018/08/18/abusing-the-com-registry-structure-part-2-loading-techniques-for-evasion-and-persistence/
 7author: Kutepov Anton, oscd.community
 8date: 2019-10-23
 9modified: 2025-10-26
10tags:
11    - attack.privilege-escalation
12    - attack.persistence
13    - attack.t1546.015
14logsource:
15    category: registry_set
16    product: windows
17detection:
18    selection:
19        TargetObject|contains|all:
20            - 'HKU\'
21            - 'Classes\CLSID\'
22            - '\TreatAs'
23    filter_main_svchost:
24        # Example of target object by svchost
25        # TargetObject: HKU\S-1-5-21-1098798288-3663759343-897484398-1001_Classes\CLSID\{0003000A-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\TreatAs
26        Image: 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe'
27    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*
28falsepositives:
29    - Maybe some system utilities in rare cases use linking keys for backward compatibility
30level: medium
31regression_tests_path: regression_data/rules/windows/registry/registry_set/registry_set_persistence_com_key_linking/info.yml
32simulation:
33    - type: atomic-red-team
34      name: COM hijacking via TreatAs
35      technique: T1546.015
36      atomic_guid: 33eacead-f117-4863-8eb0-5c6304fbfaa9