T1546.002: Screensaver
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1546.002 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Persistence, Privilege Escalation |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may establish persistence by executing malicious content triggered by user inactivity. Screensavers are programs that execute after a configurable time of user inactivity and consist of Portable Executable (PE) files with a .scr file extension.(Citation: Wikipedia Screensaver) The Windows screensaver application scrnsave.scr is located in C:\Windows\System32\, and C:\Windows\sysWOW64\ on 64-bit Windows systems, along with screensavers included with base Windows installations.
The following screensaver settings are stored in the Registry (HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\) and could be manipulated to achieve persistence:
SCRNSAVE.exe- set to malicious PE pathScreenSaveActive- set to '1' to enable the screensaverScreenSaverIsSecure- set to '0' to not require a password to unlockScreenSaveTimeout- sets user inactivity timeout before screensaver is executed
Adversaries can use screensaver settings to maintain persistence by setting the screensaver to run malware after a certain timeframe of user inactivity.(Citation: ESET Gazer Aug 2017)
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Mitigations for this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Mitigations
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MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
Command Execution (Command)
The execution of a line of text, potentially with arguments, created from program code (e.g. a cmdlet executed via powershell.exe, interactive commands like >dir, shell executions, etc. )Windows Registry Key Modification (Windows Registry)
Changes made to a Registry Key and/or Key value (ex: Windows EID 4657 or Sysmon EID 13|14)File Modification (File)
Changes made to a file, or its access permissions and attributes, typically to alter the contents of the targeted file (ex: Windows EID 4670 or Sysmon EID 2)File Creation (File)
Initial construction of a new file (ex: Sysmon EID 11)Process Creation (Process)
The initial construction of an executable managed by the OS, that may involve one or more tasks or threads. (e.g. Win EID 4688, Sysmon EID 1, cmd.exe > net use, etc.)Control Validation Tests for this Technique
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Sigma Detections for this Technique
SP800-53 Controls
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