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Preventions

No Ready System-Level Mitigation

Restrict Access to Administrative Privileges

Enforce an Acceptable Use Policy

Enforce a Social Media Policy

Install an Anti-Virus Solution

Install a Web Proxy Solution

Restrict Access to Registry Editor

Enforce File Permissions

Prohibition of Devices On-site

Physical Access Controls

End-User Security Awareness Training

Pre-Employment Background Checks

Disable Printing, Windows

Application Whitelisting

Enforce a Data Classification Policy

Prohibit Email Auto-Forwarding to External Domains, Exchange

Network Intrusion Prevention Systems

Data Loss Prevention Solution

DNS Filtering

Internal Whistleblowing

Access Reviews

Employee Off-boarding Process

Full Disk Encryption

Restrict Mobile Clipboard via Intune App Protection Policies

Financial Approval Process

Corporate Card Spending Limits

Enterprise-Managed Web Browsers

Bootloader Password

Next-Generation Firewalls

Native Anti-Tampering Protections

Protocol Allow Listing

Restrict Disc Media Mounting, Group Policy

Restrict Floppy Drive Mounting, Group Policy

Restrict Removable Disk Mounting, Group Policy

Insider Threat Awareness Training

Employee Mental Health & Support Program

Network Access Control (NAC)

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Employee Vulnerability Support Program

Restrict Windows System Time Modification

Windows Time Service Synchronization

Exchange Restrict Outbound Emails via Recipient Domain

Regulation Awareness Training

Implement MIP Sensitivity Labels

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Managerial Approval

Social Media Screening

Employment Reference Checks

Criminal Background Checks

Government-Issued ID Verification

Human Resources Collaboration for Early Threat Detection

Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Azure Conditional Access Policies

Structured Request Channels for Operational Needs

Consistent Enforcement of Minor Violations

ID: PV007
Created: 25th May 2024
Updated: 25th May 2024
Contributor: The ITM Team

Restrict Access to Registry Editor

Windows Group Policy can be used to prevent specific accounts from accessing Registry Editor. This can prevent them from reading the registry or making modifications, if their permissions allow, using this utility.

Sections

ID	Name	Description
PR001	Read Windows Registry	A subject may read the Windows registry using Registry Viewer or PowerShell to help them gain more information about the system, such as keys related to security controls.
PR026	Remote Desktop (RDP) Access on Windows Systems	The subject initiates configuration changes to enable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Remote Assistance on a Windows system, typically through the System Properties dialog, registry modifications, or local group policy. This behavior may indicate preparatory actions to grant unauthorized remote access to the endpoint, whether to an external actor, co-conspirator, or secondary account. Characteristics Subject opens the Remote tab within the System Properties dialog (`SystemPropertiesRemote.exe`) and enables: Remote Assistance Remote Desktop May configure additional RDP-related settings such as: Allowing connections from any version of RDP clients (less secure) Adding specific users to the `Remote Desktop Users group` Modifying Group Policy to allow RDP access Often accompanied by: Firewall rule changes to allow inbound RDP (`TCP 3389`) Creation of local accounts or service accounts with RDP permissions Disabling sleep, lock, or idle timeout settings to keep the system continuously accessible In some cases, used to stage access prior to file exfiltration, remote control handoff, or backdoor persistence. Example Scenario A subject accesses the Remote tab via `SystemPropertiesRemote.exe` and enables Remote Desktop, selecting the “Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop” option. They add a personal email-based Microsoft account to the Remote Desktop Users group. No help desk ticket or change request is submitted. Over the following days, successful RDP logins are observed from an IP address outside of corporate VPN boundaries, correlating with a data transfer spike.