The detection rule 'Windows Impair Defense Disable Defender Protocol Recognition' targets modifications to the Windows Registry aimed at disabling the Windows Defender protocol recognition feature. This is specifically identified by changes to the 'DisableProtocolRecognition' setting within the registry path related to Windows Defender. Such changes can severely impair the ability of Windows Defender to identify and react to malware or any suspicious software activity. The analytic is built upon logging from Sysmon events, specifically EventID 12 and EventID 13, which capture registry modifications and relevant actions. Successful exploitation could potentially enable an attacker to circumvent Windows Defender's protective measures, allowing for malicious activities like data exfiltration or further system compromises. As this feature is typically enabled by default, disabling it should raise immediate warning flags for potential security breaches.