T1137.002: Office Test
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1137.002 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Persistence |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may abuse the Microsoft Office "Office Test" Registry key to obtain persistence on a compromised system. An Office Test Registry location exists that allows a user to specify an arbitrary DLL that will be executed every time an Office application is started. This Registry key is thought to be used by Microsoft to load DLLs for testing and debugging purposes while developing Office applications. This Registry key is not created by default during an Office installation.(Citation: Hexacorn Office Test)(Citation: Palo Alto Office Test Sofacy)
There exist user and global Registry keys for the Office Test feature:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office test\Special\PerfHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office test\Special\Perf
Adversaries may add this Registry key and specify a malicious DLL that will be executed whenever an Office application, such as Word or Excel, is started.
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Cyber Threat Graph Context
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Mitigations for this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Mitigations
Behavior Prevention on Endpoint
Use capabilities to prevent suspicious behavior patterns from occurring on endpoint systems. This could include suspicious process, file, API call, etc. behavior.Software Configuration
Implement configuration changes to software (other than the operating system) to mitigate security risks associated to how the software operates.How to detect this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
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)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. )Module Load (Module)
Attaching a module into the memory of a process/program, typically to access shared resources/features provided by the module (ex: Sysmon EID 7)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)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.)Windows Registry Key Creation (Windows Registry)
Initial construction of a new Registry Key (ex: Windows EID 4656 or Sysmon EID 12)Control Validation Tests for this Technique
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Sigma Detections for this Technique
SP800-53 Controls
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