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[Rule Tuning] Windows High-Severity Rules Revamp - 14#6033

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w0rk3r merged 6 commits into
mainfrom
revamp_13
May 12, 2026
Merged

[Rule Tuning] Windows High-Severity Rules Revamp - 14#6033
w0rk3r merged 6 commits into
mainfrom
revamp_13

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@w0rk3r

@w0rk3r w0rk3r commented May 3, 2026

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Issues

Part of https://github.com/elastic/ia-trade-team/issues/619
Part of https://github.com/elastic/ia-trade-team/issues/844
Part of https://github.com/elastic/ia-trade-team/issues/205
Part of https://github.com/elastic/ia-trade-team/issues/636

Summary

This PR fixes/improves our Windows rules by:

  • Improving our investigation guides to be question-driven and actionable, with clear pivots and specific information vs our old checklists
  • Adding Investigate Timeline plugins to help analysts quickly pivot into related alerts, authentication events, file activity, child processes, network activity, directory-service changes, and follow-on Windows Security events
  • Adding setup guides
  • Adding Highlighted fields
  • Fixing/Improving metadata where needed (Description, Mitre tags, references)
  • Improving the order of the fields, so the most relevant information (Name, description, query) are visible without scrolling down too much
  • Tunings where needed (Expand logic, exclude FPs, etc.)

Screenshots / Sample

Highlighted Fields:
image

Investigation Guides: Investigate Plugin

image image

Clicking the investigation plugins launches Timeline with field values populated dynamically from alert fields.

image image

@w0rk3r w0rk3r self-assigned this May 3, 2026
@w0rk3r w0rk3r added Rule: Tuning tweaking or tuning an existing rule OS: Windows windows related rules Domain: Endpoint backport: auto labels May 3, 2026
@github-actions

github-actions Bot commented May 3, 2026

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Rule: Tuning - Guidelines

These guidelines serve as a reminder set of considerations when tuning an existing rule.

Documentation and Context

  • Detailed description of the suggested changes.
  • Provide example JSON data or screenshots.
  • Provide evidence of reducing benign events mistakenly identified as threats (False Positives).
  • Provide evidence of enhancing detection of true threats that were previously missed (False Negatives).
  • Provide evidence of optimizing resource consumption and execution time of detection rules (Performance).
  • Provide evidence of specific environment factors influencing customized rule tuning (Contextual Tuning).
  • Provide evidence of improvements made by modifying sensitivity by changing alert triggering thresholds (Threshold Adjustments).
  • Provide evidence of refining rules to better detect deviations from typical behavior (Behavioral Tuning).
  • Provide evidence of improvements of adjusting rules based on time-based patterns (Temporal Tuning).
  • Provide reasoning of adjusting priority or severity levels of alerts (Severity Tuning).
  • Provide evidence of improving quality integrity of our data used by detection rules (Data Quality).
  • Ensure the tuning includes necessary updates to the release documentation and versioning.

Rule Metadata Checks

  • updated_date matches the date of tuning PR merged.
  • min_stack_version should support the widest stack versions.
  • name and description should be descriptive and not include typos.
  • query should be inclusive, not overly exclusive. Review to ensure the original intent of the rule is maintained.

Testing and Validation

  • Validate that the tuned rule's performance is satisfactory and does not negatively impact the stack.
  • Ensure that the tuned rule has a low false positive rate.

@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 3, 2026 •
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran

w0rk3r
w0rk3r commented May 3, 2026
View reviewed changes
Comment thread rules/windows/persistence_ms_office_addins_file.toml Outdated
@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 3, 2026 •
edited
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • validation_missing: No tests ran
  • ❌ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)
    • validation_missing: No tests ran

@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 4, 2026 •
edited
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • stack_validation_failed: no_alerts - 0 alerts
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)

@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 4, 2026 •
edited
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • stack_validation_failed: no_alerts - 0 alerts
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)

@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 4, 2026 •
edited
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • stack_validation_failed: no_alerts - 0 alerts
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)

@tradebot-elastic

tradebot-elastic commented May 12, 2026 •
edited
Loading

Copy link
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⛔️ Test failed

Results
  • ❌ Creation of a Hidden Local User Account (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious ImagePath Service Creation (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder SDProp Exclusion Added (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via TelemetryController Scheduled Task Hijack (eql)
  • ❌ AdminSDHolder Backdoor (kuery)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ❌ Potential Modification of Accessibility Binaries (eql)
    • stack_validation_failed: no_alerts - 0 alerts
  • ❌ Persistence via Hidden Run Key Detected (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Suspicious Startup Shell Folder Modification (eql)
  • ❌ KRBTGT Delegation Backdoor (eql)
    • coverage_issue: no_rta
    • stack_validation_failed: no_rta
  • ✅ Persistence via Microsoft Office AddIns (eql)

@w0rk3r w0rk3r merged commit 1971bf6 into main May 12, 2026
14 of 18 checks passed
@w0rk3r w0rk3r deleted the revamp_13 branch May 12, 2026 18:23
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Reviewers

@Aegrah Aegrah Aegrah approved these changes
@terrancedejesus terrancedejesus terrancedejesus approved these changes
@Mikaayenson Mikaayenson Awaiting requested review from Mikaayenson
@imays11 imays11 Awaiting requested review from imays11
@Samirbous Samirbous Awaiting requested review from Samirbous
@shashank-elastic shashank-elastic Awaiting requested review from shashank-elastic
@eric-forte-elastic eric-forte-elastic Awaiting requested review from eric-forte-elastic

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@w0rk3r w0rk3r

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backport: auto Domain: Endpoint OS: Windows windows related rules Rule: Tuning tweaking or tuning an existing rule

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@w0rk3r @tradebot-elastic @Aegrah @terrancedejesus @Mikaayenson