This section explores advanced techniques for understanding and evading modern endpoint security solutions through deep technical analysis of Windows architecture and EDR internals.
Windows Internals
A comprehensive technical exploration of Windows architecture fundamentals essential for developing effective evasion techniques. This article covers the division between Kernel Mode and User Mode privilege domains, examining core components including the Executive layer with its specialized managers (Process Manager, Memory Manager, I/O Manager, Object Manager), the Security Reference Monitor (SRM) for access control enforcement, and the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) creating consistent interfaces to diverse hardware platforms. Understanding these fundamental Windows internals provides the foundation for comprehending how security solutions operate at the kernel level and where potential bypass opportunities exist.
EDR Internals
An in-depth examination of how modern Endpoint Detection and Response systems collect telemetry and monitor system activities. This analysis focuses on the multi-layered EDR architecture combining user-mode and kernel-mode components, with particular emphasis on kernel drivers responsible for low-level monitoring. The article explores kernel callbacks as the primary telemetry collection mechanism, detailing how EDRs register function pointers that trigger on specific system events. Understanding Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) integration, process and thread monitoring callbacks, registry operation tracking, and image load notifications reveals the comprehensive visibility EDR solutions achieve across the operating system and potential attack surfaces for evasion.
EDR Killing via BYOVD Attacks
A technical deep-dive into Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks as a sophisticated method for disabling endpoint security solutions. This article examines the process of exploiting legitimate but flawed signed kernel drivers to achieve kernel-mode code execution, focusing on reverse engineering driver IOCTL (Input/Output Control) interfaces to identify inadequate input validation. The techniques covered include weaponizing vulnerable drivers to terminate EDR processes using native kernel API functions like ZwTerminateProcess, which operates below user-mode security hooks. This approach leverages the inherent trust operating systems place in signed drivers to bypass modern security controls at the kernel level.
Static Detection Bypass
Techniques and methodologies for evading signature-based detection mechanisms employed by antivirus and EDR solutions, focusing on obfuscation, encryption, and polymorphic code generation to avoid static analysis detection.
Evasion Topics
Dive deep into evasion techniques and defense bypass strategies.