New RUN Key Pointing to Suspicious Folder

 1title: New RUN Key Pointing to Suspicious Folder
 2id: 02ee49e2-e294-4d0f-9278-f5b3212fc588
 3status: experimental
 4description: Detects suspicious new RUN key element pointing to an executable in a suspicious folder
 5references:
 6    - https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2018/08/fin7-pursuing-an-enigmatic-and-evasive-global-criminal-operation.html
 7    - https://github.com/HackTricks-wiki/hacktricks/blob/e4c7b21b8f36c97c35b7c622732b38a189ce18f7/src/windows-hardening/windows-local-privilege-escalation/privilege-escalation-with-autorun-binaries.md
 8author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Markus Neis, Sander Wiebing, Swachchhanda Shrawan Poudel (Nextron Systems)
 9date: 2018-08-25
10modified: 2025-10-06
11tags:
12    - attack.privilege-escalation
13    - attack.persistence
14    - attack.t1547.001
15logsource:
16    category: registry_set
17    product: windows
18detection:
19    selection_target:
20        TargetObject|contains:
21            - '\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
22            - '\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
23            - '\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run'
24    selection_suspicious_paths_1:
25        Details|contains:
26            - ':\Perflogs'
27            - :\ProgramData'
28            - ':\Windows\Temp'
29            - ':\Temp'
30            - '\AppData\Local\Temp'
31            - '\AppData\Roaming'
32            - ':\$Recycle.bin'
33            - ':\Users\Default'
34            - ':\Users\public'
35            - '%temp%'
36            - '%tmp%'
37            - '%Public%'
38            - '%AppData%'
39    selection_suspicious_paths_user_1:
40        Details|contains: ':\Users\'
41    selection_suspicious_paths_user_2:
42        Details|contains:
43            - '\Favorites'
44            - '\Favourites'
45            - '\Contacts'
46            - '\Music'
47            - '\Pictures'
48            - '\Documents'
49            - '\Photos'
50    filter_main_windows_update:
51        TargetObject|contains: '\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\'
52        Image|startswith: 'C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\'
53        Details|contains|all:
54            - 'rundll32.exe '
55            - 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\advpack.dll,DelNodeRunDLL32'
56        Details|contains:
57            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
58            - 'C:\Windows\Temp\'
59    filter_optional_spotify:
60        Image|endswith:
61            - 'C:\Program Files\Spotify\Spotify.exe'
62            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Spotify\Spotify.exe'
63            - '\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\Spotify.exe'
64        TargetObject|endswith: 'SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Spotify'
65        Details|endswith: 'Spotify.exe --autostart --minimized'
66    condition: selection_target and (selection_suspicious_paths_1 or (all of selection_suspicious_paths_user_* )) and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
67falsepositives:
68    - Software using weird folders for updates
69level: high