Query: detect Detects potential abuse of WerFaultSecure.exe to dump Protected Process Light (PPL) processes like LSASS or to freeze se in logs
Matching passage: Sigma rule: Detects potential abuse of WerFaultSecure.exe to dump Protected Process Light (PPL) processes like LSASS or to freeze se. Logsource: windows / process_creation. Rule: title: PPL Tampering Via WerFaultSecure id: 1f0b4cac-9c81-41f4-95d0-8475ff46b3e2 related: - id: 387df17d-3b04-448f-8669-9e7fd5e5fd8c type: similar - id: 8a2f4b1c-3d5e-4f7a-9b2c-1e4f6d8a9c2b type: similar status: experimental description: 'Detects potential abuse of WerFaultSecure.exe to dump Protected Process Light (PPL) processes like LSASS or to freeze security solutions (EDR/antivirus). This technique is used by tools such as EDR-Freeze and WSASS to bypass PPL protections and access sensitive information or disable security software. Distinct command line patterns help identify the specific tool: - WSASS usage typically shows: "WSASS.exe WerFaultSecure.exe [PID]" in ParentCommandLine - EDR-Freeze usage typically shows: "EDR-Freeze_[version].exe [PID] [timeout]" in ParentCommandLine Legitimate debugging operations using WerFaultSecure are rare in production environments and should be investigated. ' references: - https://www.zerosalarium.com/2025/09/EDR-Freeze-Puts-EDRs-Antivirus-Into-Coma.html - https://github.com/TwoSevenOneT/EDR-Freeze/blob/a7f61030b36fbde89871f393488f7075d2aa89f6/EDR-Freeze.cpp#L53 - https://www.zerosalarium.com/2025/09/Dumping-LSASS-With-WER-On-Modern-Windows-11.html - https://github.com/TwoSevenOneT/WSASS/blob/2c8fd9fa32143e7bc9f066e9511c6f8a57bc64b5/WSASS.cpp#L251 author: Jason (https://github.com/0xbcf) date: 2025-09-23 modified: 2025-11-23 tags: - attack.defense-impairment - attack.t1685 - attack.credential-access - attack.t1003.001 logsource: category: process_creation product: windows detection: selection_image: - Image|endswith: \WerFaultSecure.exe - OriginalFileName: WerFaultSecure.exe selection_args: CommandLine|contains|all: - ' /h ' - ' /pid ' - ' /tid ' - ' /encfile ' - ' /cancel ' - ' /type ' - ' 268310' condition: all of selection_* falsepositives: - Legitimate usage of WerFaultSecure for debugging purposes level: high regression_tests_path: regression_data/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_werfaultsecure_abuse/info.yml
Near-miss passage: Sigma rule: Detects a suspicious CertReq execution downloading a file. This behavior is often used by attackers to download addition. Logsource: windows / process_creation. Rule: title: Suspicious CertReq Command to Download id: 4480827a-9799-4232-b2c4-ccc6c4e9e12b status: experimental description: 'Detects a suspicious CertReq execution downloading a file. This behavior is often used by attackers to download additional payloads or configuration files. Certreq is a built-in Windows utility used to request and retrieve certificates from a certification authority (CA). However, it can be abused by threat actors for malicious purposes. ' references: - https://lolbas-project.github.io/lolbas/Binaries/Certreq/ author: Christian Burkard (Nextron Systems) date: 2021-11-24 modified: 2025-10-29 tags: - attack.command-and-control - attack.t1105 logsource: category: process_creation product: windows detection: selection_img: - Image|endswith: \certreq.exe - OriginalFileName: CertReq.exe selection_cli_flag_post: CommandLine|contains|windash: -Post selection_cli_flag_config: CommandLine|contains|windash: -config selection_cli_http: CommandLine|contains: http condition: all of selection_* falsepositives: - Unlikely level: high