Microsoft Office adds a value to autostart Registry key

Synopsis

Field	Value
Activation Period	14 Days
Training Period	30 Days
Test Period	N/A (single event)
Deduplication Period	1 Day
Required Data	XDR Agent with eXtended Threat Hunting (XTH)
ATT&CK Tactic	Persistence (TA0003)
ATT&CK Technique	Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder (T1547.001)
Severity	Low

Description

Microsoft Office adds a value to a registry entry (run keys, startup folders) to establish persistence.

Attacker's Goals

Gain persistence on the host using the Window's autostart Mechanism.

Investigative actions

• Check the registry key and determine what process it'll run.
• Check whether the executing process is benign and if this was a desired behavior as part of its normal execution flow.