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Suspicious Powercfg Execution To Change Lock Screen Timeout

Sigma Rules

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Summary
This detection rule identifies potentially malicious activity related to the execution of 'Powercfg.exe', a legitimate Windows command-line utility used for power management. The rule specifically looks for command-line arguments that modify the lock screen timeout settings, which could be indicative of an attacker attempting to manipulate user sessions or evade detection by changing power settings. The detection logic focuses on two main aspects: (1) checking if the process being executed ends with 'powercfg.exe' and the original filename matches 'PowerCfg.exe', and (2) verifying if the command line arguments contain settings related to altering the lock screen timeout. The combination of these criteria helps to filter out benign uses of Powercfg, honing in on potentially suspicious behavior that should be investigated further. This rule is especially relevant in scenarios where adversaries employ tactics to maintain persistence or evade defenses by altering system configurations.
Categories
  • Endpoint
  • Windows
Data Sources
  • Process
Created: 2022-11-18