Currently viewing ATT&CK v8.2 which was live between October 27, 2020 and April 28, 2021. Learn more about the versioning system or see the live site.
TECHNIQUES
Enterprise
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Access Token Manipulation
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Domain Policy Modification
Event Triggered Execution
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Process Injection
Scheduled Task/Job
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Domain Policy Modification
Execution Guardrails
File and Directory Permissions Modification
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Obfuscated Files or Information
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Subvert Trust Controls
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Trusted Developer Utilities Proxy Execution
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Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion
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Credential Access
Brute Force
Credentials from Password Stores
Forge Web Credentials
Input Capture
Man-in-the-Middle
Modify Authentication Process
OS Credential Dumping
Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets
Unsecured Credentials
Discovery
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Permission Groups Discovery
Software Discovery
Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion
Lateral Movement
Remote Service Session Hijacking
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Use Alternate Authentication Material
Collection
Archive Collected Data
Data from Configuration Repository
Data from Information Repositories
Data Staged
Email Collection
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Man-in-the-Middle
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Encrypted Channel
Proxy
Traffic Signaling
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Automated Exfiltration
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Impact
Data Manipulation
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Execution
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  2. Techniques
  3. Enterprise
  4. Impair Defenses
  5. Disable Windows Event Logging

Impair Defenses: Disable Windows Event Logging

ID Name
T1562.001 Disable or Modify Tools
T1562.002 Disable Windows Event Logging
T1562.003 Impair Command History Logging
T1562.004 Disable or Modify System Firewall
T1562.006 Indicator Blocking
T1562.007 Disable or Modify Cloud Firewall
T1562.008 Disable Cloud Logs

Adversaries may disable Windows event logging to limit data that can be leveraged for detections and audits. Windows event logs record user and system activity such as login attempts, process creation, and much more.[1] This data is used by security tools and analysts to generate detections.

Adversaries may targeting system-wide logging or just that of a particular application. By disabling Windows event logging, adversaries can operate while leaving less evidence of a compromise behind.

ID: T1562.002
Sub-technique of:  T1562
Tactic: Defense Evasion
Platforms: Windows
Permissions Required: Administrator
Data Sources: Process command-line parameters, Process monitoring, Windows event logs
Defense Bypassed: Log analysis
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 February 2020
Last Modified: 29 March 2020

Procedure Examples

Name Description
Ebury

Ebury has disabled logging when the backdoor is used.[2]

Threat Group-3390

Threat Group-3390 has used appcmd.exe to disable logging on a victim server.[3]
UNC2452

UNC2452 used AUDITPOL to prevent the collection of audit logs.[4]

Mitigations

Mitigation Description
Restrict File and Directory Permissions

Ensure proper process and file permissions are in place to prevent adversaries from disabling or interfering logging.
Restrict Registry Permissions

Ensure proper Registry permissions are in place to prevent adversaries from disabling or interfering logging.
User Account Management

Ensure proper user permissions are in place to prevent adversaries from disabling or interfering with logging.

Detection

Monitor processes and command-line arguments for commands that can be used to disable logging. Lack of event logs may be suspicious.

References

  1. Franklin Smith. (n.d.). Windows Security Log Events. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. M.Léveillé, M.. (2014, February 21). An In-depth Analysis of Linux/Ebury. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  1. Counter Threat Unit Research Team. (2017, June 27). BRONZE UNION Cyberespionage Persists Despite Disclosures. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  2. MSTIC, CDOC, 365 Defender Research Team. (2021, January 20). Deep dive into the Solorigate second-stage activation: From SUNBURST to TEARDROP and Raindrop . Retrieved January 22, 2021.