↳ GitHub sourceAnalytics ruleMedium

Starting or Stopping HealthService to Avoid Detection

Description

'This query detects events where an actor is stopping or starting HealthService to disable telemetry collection/detection from the agent. The query requires a SACL to audit for access request to the service.'
Rule type
Scheduled
Version
1.0.2
Declared status
Available
Query frequency
1d
Query period
1d
Trigger
gt 0

Declared MITRE coverage

Declared sources

Metadata from the source file. No dependencies inferred from KQL.

Connectors

Data types

KQL query

Original query, unchanged.

SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4656
| extend EventData = parse_xml(EventData).EventData.Data
| mv-expand bagexpansion=array EventData
| evaluate bag_unpack(EventData)
| extend Key = tostring(column_ifexists('@Name', "")), Value = column_ifexists('#text', "")
| evaluate pivot(Key, any(Value), TimeGenerated, TargetAccount, Computer, EventSourceName, Channel, Task, Level, EventID, Activity, TargetLogonId, SourceComputerId, EventOriginId, Type, _ResourceId, TenantId, SourceSystem, ManagementGroupName, IpAddress, Account)
| extend ObjectServer = column_ifexists('ObjectServer', ""), ObjectType = column_ifexists('ObjectType', ""), ObjectName = column_ifexists('ObjectName', "")
| where isnotempty(ObjectServer) and isnotempty(ObjectType) and isnotempty(ObjectName)
| where ObjectServer =~ "SC Manager" and ObjectType =~ "SERVICE OBJECT" and ObjectName =~ "HealthService"
// Comment out the join below if the SACL only audits users that are part of the Network logon users, i.e. with user/group target pointing to "NU."
| join kind=leftouter (
  SecurityEvent
  | where EventID == 4624
) on TargetLogonId
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Account, TargetAccount, IpAddress,TargetLogonId, ObjectServer, ObjectType, ObjectName
| extend HostName = tostring(split(Computer, ".")[0]), DomainIndex = toint(indexof(Computer, '.'))
| extend HostNameDomain = iff(DomainIndex != -1, substring(Computer, DomainIndex + 1), Computer)
| extend AccountName = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[1]), AccountNTDomain = tostring(split(TargetAccount, @'\')[0])
| extend timestamp = TimeGenerated

Declared entities

AccountHostIP

Related content

Links established from declared identifiers and solution manifests.

Source provenance

GitHub

Displayed values come from files in Azure/Azure-Sentinel. They describe the published template, not your workspace configuration.

Source identifier
2bc7b4ae-eeaa-4538-ba15-ef298ec1ffae
Additional source files 3Solutions/Windows Security Events/Analytic Rules/StartStopHealthService.yamlsource ↗Detections/SecurityEvent/StartStopHealthService.yamlmigration-note ↗Solutions/Windows Security Events/Data/Solution_Windows Security Events.jsonsolution-membership ↗
GSTEP / CATALOG TRACKING

Added to catalog : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC
Last change observed : 16 Sept 2026 · 05:49 UTC

GSTEP sync dates, separate from the source content’s publication dates.