Microsoft Office Protected View Disabled

Hunt Hypothesis

Detects changes to Microsoft Office protected view registry keys with which the attacker disables this feature.

Detection Rule

Sigma (Original)

title: Microsoft Office Protected View Disabled
id: a5c7a43f-6009-4a8c-80c5-32abf1c53ecc
related:
    - id: 7c637634-c95d-4bbf-b26c-a82510874b34
      type: obsolete
status: test
description: Detects changes to Microsoft Office protected view registry keys with which the attacker disables this feature.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1562.001/T1562.001.md
    - https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-gorgon-group-slithering-nation-state-cybercrime/
    - https://yoroi.company/research/cyber-criminal-espionage-operation-insists-on-italian-manufacturing/
    - https://admx.help/HKCU/software/policies/microsoft/office/16.0/excel/security/protectedview
author: frack113, Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
date: 2021-06-08
modified: 2023-08-17
tags:
    - attack.defense-impairment
    - attack.t1685
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: registry_set
detection:
    selection_path:
        TargetObject|contains|all:
            - '\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\'
            - '\Security\ProtectedView\'
    selection_values_1:
        Details: 'DWORD (0x00000001)'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\DisableAttachementsInPV' # Turn off Protected View for attachments opened from Outlook
            - '\DisableInternetFilesInPV' # Turn off Protected View for files downloaded from Internet zone
            - '\DisableIntranetCheck' # Turn off Protected View for file located in UNC paths
            - '\DisableUnsafeLocationsInPV' # Turn off Protected View for unsafe locations
    selection_values_0:
        Details: 'DWORD (0x00000000)'
        TargetObject|endswith:
            - '\enabledatabasefileprotectedview'
            - '\enableforeigntextfileprotectedview'
    condition: selection_path and 1 of selection_values_*
falsepositives:
    - Unlikely
level: high

KQL (Azure Sentinel)

imRegistry
| where (RegistryKey endswith "\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Office*" and RegistryKey endswith "\\Security\\ProtectedView*") and ((RegistryValueData =~ "DWORD (0x00000001)" and (RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableAttachementsInPV" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableInternetFilesInPV" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableIntranetCheck" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableUnsafeLocationsInPV")) or (RegistryValueData =~ "DWORD (0x00000000)" and (RegistryKey endswith "\\enabledatabasefileprotectedview" or RegistryKey endswith "\\enableforeigntextfileprotectedview")))

KQL (Microsoft 365 Defender)

DeviceRegistryEvents
| where (RegistryKey endswith "\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Office*" and RegistryKey endswith "\\Security\\ProtectedView*") and ((RegistryValueData =~ "DWORD (0x00000001)" and (RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableAttachementsInPV" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableInternetFilesInPV" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableIntranetCheck" or RegistryKey endswith "\\DisableUnsafeLocationsInPV")) or (RegistryValueData =~ "DWORD (0x00000000)" and (RegistryKey endswith "\\enabledatabasefileprotectedview" or RegistryKey endswith "\\enableforeigntextfileprotectedview")))

Required Data Sources

False Positive Guidance

• Unlikely

MITRE ATT&CK Context

• Technique: T1685 — T1685

References

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1562.001/T1562.001.md
• https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-gorgon-group-slithering-nation-state-cybercrime/
• https://yoroi.company/research/cyber-criminal-espionage-operation-insists-on-italian-manufacturing/
• https://admx.help/HKCU/software/policies/microsoft/office/16.0/excel/security/protectedview
• SigmaHQ Rule