MITRE ATT&CKsub-technique

T1686.003 Windows Host Firewall

Published 2026-04-14 Modified 2026-05-12 Official page ↗
Domain
enterprise
Tactics
Defense Impairment
Platforms
Windows
Version
1.0
Created
2026-04-14

Description

Adversaries may disable or modify the Windows host firewall to bypass controls limiting network usage. This can include disabling the Windows host firewall entirely, suppressing specific profiles (domain, private, public), or adding, deleting, and modifying firewall rules to allow or restrict traffic. Adversaries may perform these modifications through multiple mechanisms depending on the Windows operating system and access level. For example, adversaries may use command-line utilities (e.g., `netsh advfirewall` or PowerShell cmdlets like `Set-NetFirewallProfile`, `New-NetFirewallRule`), Windows Registry modifications (e.g., altering firewall states and rule configurations via registry keys), or the Windows Control Panel to modify firewall settings through the Windows Security interface. By disabling or modifying Windows firewall services, adversaries may enable access to remote services, open ports for command and control traffic, or configure rules for further actions.

Related

Subtechnique of · MITRE ATT&CK (1)

  • T1686 Disable or Modify System Firewall technique

Tactic · MITRE ATT&CK (1)

  • TA0112 Defense Impairment tactic

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · mitigates (4)

  • M1047 Audit mitigation
  • M1018 User Account Management mitigation
  • M1022 Restrict File and Directory Permissions mitigation
  • M1024 Restrict Registry Permissions mitigation

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · uses (18)

  • S9051 The Gentlemen Ransomware software (malware)
  • G1055 VOID MANTICORE group
  • G1054 MirrorFace group
  • S9023 HiddenFace software (malware)
  • C0051 APT28 Nearest Neighbor Campaign campaign
  • S1181 BlackByte 2.0 Ransomware software (malware)
  • C0014 Operation Wocao campaign
  • G1009 Moses Staff group
  • S0385 njRAT software (malware)
  • S0334 DarkComet software (malware)
  • S0245 BADCALL software (malware)
  • S0246 HARDRAIN software (malware)
  • S0263 TYPEFRAME software (malware)
  • G0059 Magic Hound group
  • G0049 OilRig group
  • G0032 Lazarus Group group
  • S0125 Remsec software (malware)
  • S0132 H1N1 software (malware)

Referenced by Compliance · mitigates (1)

  • CIS-4.4 Implement and Manage a Firewall on Servers CIS Safeguard v8.1

References