TA0003 · PERSISTENCE
Add-ins
Adversaries may abuse Microsoft Office add-ins to obtain persistence on a compromised system. Office add-ins can be used to add functionality to Office programs.
Detect it with
Monitor and validate the Office trusted locations on the file system and audit the Registry entries relevant for enabling add-ins.
Why it matters on shift
Add-ins is one of the concrete ways adversaries achieve persistence. Recognising it in telemetry lets you name the technique in your ticket and pivot to what came before and after.
What to look for next
After persistence, the next tactic is usually Privilege Escalation. Search your telemetry for the transition before closing the ticket.
Kill-chain context