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MITRE ATT&CK® Technique

T1209: Time Providers

The Windows Time service (W32Time) enables time synchronization across and within domains. [1] W32Time time providers are responsible for retrieving time stamps from hardware/network resources and outputting these values to other network clients. [2]

Time providers are implemented as dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that are registered in the subkeys of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\. [2] The time provider manager, directed by the service control manager, loads and starts time providers listed and enabled under this key at system startup and/or whenever parameters are changed. [2]

Adversaries may abuse this architecture to establish Persistence, specifically by registering and enabling a malicious DLL as a time provider. Administrator privileges are required for time provider registration, though execution will run in context of the Local Service account. [3]

EnterpriseT1209TechniqueObject v1.1 Modified
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Official MITRE ATT&CK definition

Time Providers

The Windows Time service (W32Time) enables time synchronization across and within domains. [1] W32Time time providers are responsible for retrieving time stamps from hardware/network resources and outputting these values to other network clients. [2]

Time providers are implemented as dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that are registered in the subkeys of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\. [2] The time provider manager, directed by the service control manager, loads and starts time providers listed and enabled under this key at system startup and/or whenever parameters are changed. [2]

Adversaries may abuse this architecture to establish Persistence, specifically by registering and enabling a malicious DLL as a time provider. Administrator privileges are required for time provider registration, though execution will run in context of the Local Service account. [3]

View the same entry on attack.mitre.org (MITRE-hosted reference; in-page links above use the Glexia ATT&CK library.)

Glexia analysis

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ATT&CK relationship table

Related techniques

This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.

1 rows
Domain ID Name Relationship / procedure
Enterprise T1547.003 Time Providers Sub-technique This object revoked by Time Providers.
Relationship explorer

All related ATT&CK context

revoked by · Technique T1547.003: Time Providers Enterprise
Change history

Object version and sync metadata

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ATT&CK release
19.1
Object version
1.1
Created
Modified
Raw hash
3266d33862e64e25...
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
Release Bundle imported Object version Modified Status Raw hash
19.1 1.1 Current bundle Revoked 3266d33862e6…
Raw source

Mirrored ATT&CK source object

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Source references

External references and citations

MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.

  1. [1]
    Microsoft W32Time Feb 2018

    Microsoft. (2018, February 1). Windows Time Service (W32Time). Retrieved March 26, 2018.

    Open source URL
  2. [2]
    Microsoft TimeProvider

    Microsoft. (n.d.). Time Provider. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

    Open source URL
  3. [3]
    Github W32Time Oct 2017

    Lundgren, S. (2017, October 28). w32time. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

    Open source URL
  4. [4]
    Microsoft W32Time May 2017

    Mathers, B. (2017, May 31). Windows Time Service Tools and Settings. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

    Open source URL
  5. [5]
    TechNet Autoruns

    Russinovich, M. (2016, January 4). Autoruns for Windows v13.51. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

    Open source URL
  6. [6]
    mitre-attack T1209
    Open source URL
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