Windows Modify Registry ProxyEnable

SPLUNK detection rule by Teoderick Contreras, Splunk · Apache-2.0

The following analytic detects modifications to the Windows registry key "ProxyEnable" to enable proxy settings. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry datamodel, specifically monitoring changes to the "Internet Settings\ProxyEnable" registry path. This activity is significant as it is commonly exploited by malware and adversaries to establish proxy communication, potentially connecting to malicious Command and Control (C2) servers. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to redirect network traffic through a proxy, facilitating unauthorized communication and data exfiltration, thereby compromising the security of the affected host.

name: Windows Modify Registry ProxyEnable
id: b27f20bd-ef20-41d1-a1e9-25dedd5bf2f5
version: 11
creation_date: '2023-12-06'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Teoderick Contreras, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects modifications to the Windows registry key "ProxyEnable" to enable proxy settings. It leverages data from the Endpoint.Registry datamodel, specifically monitoring changes to the "Internet Settings\ProxyEnable" registry path. This activity is significant as it is commonly exploited by malware and adversaries to establish proxy communication, potentially connecting to malicious Command and Control (C2) servers. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to redirect network traffic through a proxy, facilitating unauthorized communication and data exfiltration, thereby compromising the security of the affected host.
data_source:
    - Sysmon EventID 13
search: '| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Registry where Registry.registry_path = "*\\Internet Settings\\ProxyEnable"  Registry.registry_value_data = 0x00000001 by Registry.action Registry.dest Registry.process_guid Registry.process_id Registry.registry_hive Registry.registry_path Registry.registry_key_name Registry.registry_value_data Registry.registry_value_name Registry.registry_value_type Registry.status Registry.user Registry.vendor_product | `drop_dm_object_name(Registry)` | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `windows_modify_registry_proxyenable_filter`'
how_to_implement: To successfully implement this search you need to be ingesting information on process that include the name of the process responsible for the changes from your endpoints into the `Endpoint` datamodel in the `Registry` node. Also make sure that this registry was included in your config files ex. sysmon config to be monitored.
known_false_positives: Administrators may enable or disable this feature that may cause some false positive, however is not common. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://malpedia.caad.fkie.fraunhofer.de/details/win.darkgate
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
          message: the registry settings was modified to enable proxy on $dest$.
analytic_story:
    - DarkGate Malware
asset_type: Endpoint
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1112
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: endpoint
security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1112/proxy_enable/proxyenable.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog
      test_type: unit

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3cc3a5ef-ab7d-4ca0-9a88-6e52898c5480

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