Microsoft Defender AV must audit persistence through WMI event subscription.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-278652 | WNDF-AV-000048 | SV-278652r1192813_rule | CCI-001170 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| This policy setting prevents malware from abusing WMI to attain persistence on a device. Fileless threats employ various tactics to stay hidden, to avoid being seen in the file system, and to gain periodic execution control. Some threats can abuse the WMI repository and event model to stay hidden. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Microsoft Defender Antivirus Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-05-08 | |||
Related Frameworks
1 mapping across 3 frameworks
Related Frameworks
SCF0 mappings
No source states a mapping between these directly.
Also reachable in 3 hops (2) derived by us, not asserted by any source
Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
- DISA CCI List2025-01-23equal to(normalised)
- SCF Secure Traceability Relationship Mapping (STRM)2026.2intersects
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
- DISA CCI List2025-01-23equal to(normalised)
- SCF Secure Traceability Relationship Mapping (STRM)2026.2intersects
NIST 800-530 mappings
No source states a mapping between these directly.
Also reachable in 2 hops (3) derived by us, not asserted by any source
Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R1our copyintersects(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R1intersects(normalised)
- DISA CCI List2025-01-23equal to(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R1our copyintersects(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R1intersects(normalised)
- DISA CCI List2025-01-23equal to(normalised)
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
- DISA CCI List2025-01-23equal to(normalised)
CCI1 mapping
CCI-001170
1.00
- DISA STIG Benchmark (XCCDF)V2R9intersects(normalised)
Details
Check Text (C-278652r1192813_chk)
Verify the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Microsoft Defender Antivirus >> Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard >> Attack Surface Reduction >> Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules is set to "Enabled".
Procedure: Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Exploit Guard\ASR\Rules
Criteria: If the value "e6db77e5-3df2-4cf1-b95a-636979351e5b" is REG_SZ = 2, this is not a finding.
If the value is other than 2, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-83091r1190735_fix)
Set the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Microsoft Defender Antivirus >> Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard >> Attack Surface Reduction >> Configure Attack Surface Reduction rules to "Enabled".
Under the policy option "Set the state for each ASR rule:", then click "Show".
Enter GUID "e6db77e5-3df2-4cf1-b95a-636979351e5b" in the "Value Name" column.
Enter "2" in the "Value" column.