Screensaver
Parent: T1546
Description
Adversaries may establish persistence by executing malicious content triggered by user inactivity. Screensavers are programs that execute after a configurable time of user inactivity and consist of Portable Executable (PE) files with a .scr file extension.(Citation: Wikipedia Screensaver) The Windows screensaver application scrnsave.scr is located in <code>C:\Windows\System32\</code>, and <code>C:\Windows\sysWOW64\</code> on 64-bit Windows systems, along with screensavers included with base Windows installations. The following screensaver settings are stored in the Registry (<code>HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\</code>) and could be manipulated to achieve persistence: * <code>SCRNSAVE.exe</code> - set to malicious PE path * <code>ScreenSaveActive</code> - set to '1' to enable the screensaver * <code>ScreenSaverIsSecure</code> - set to '0' to not require a password to unlock * <code>ScreenSaveTimeout</code> - sets user inactivity timeout before screensaver is executed Adversaries can use screensaver settings to maintain persistence by setting the screensaver to run malware after a certain timeframe of user inactivity.(Citation: ESET Gazer Aug 2017)
Mapped SPARTA techniques
No techniques mapped to this control.
Cross-framework references
Relationships published by the source frameworks themselves, reproduced here with attribution. They are not SafeMode Space mappings and carry no confidence rating of ours.
Countered by 17 in MITRE D3FEND (Defensive Techniques)
- D3-CFContent Filtering
- D3-CIConfiguration Inventory
- D3-CMContent Modification
- D3-CQContent Quarantine
- D3-DADynamic Analysis
- D3-DFDecoy File
- D3-EALExecutable Allowlisting
- D3-EDLExecutable Denylisting
- D3-EFAEmulated File Analysis
- D3-FAFile Analysis
- D3-FEFile Encryption
- D3-FEVFile Eviction
- D3-FIMFile Integrity Monitoring
- D3-LFPLocal File Permissions
- D3-RCRestore Configuration
- D3-RFRestore File
- D3-RFAMRemote File Access Mediation
Cite as SafeMode Space, mitre-attack-enterprise T1546.002.