Cyber security

WDAC Rule Levels Comparison And Guide – Understanding File Attribute-Based Security Measures

We delve into the hierarchy of WDAC rule levels, ranging from the most secure to the least secure, providing insight into their significance and implications for system security.

Understanding these levels is crucial for effectively implementing file attribute-based security measures in your Windows environment.

This document lists all of the levels of WDAC rules. From Top to bottom, from the most secure to the least secure, the levels are:

0. Hash

  • File’s SHA2-256 Authenticode hash
  • File’s SHA2-256 Page hash

1. WHQLFilePublisher

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file
  • Leaf certificate of the file
  • File’s version
  • Another attribute of the file (FileDescription, InternalName, OriginalFileName, PackageFamilyName, ProductName, Filepath)
  • File’s WHQL EKU OID

2. FilePublisher

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file
  • Leaf certificate of the file
  • File’s version
  • Another attribute of the file (FileDescription, InternalName, OriginalFileName, PackageFamilyName, ProductName, Filepath)

3. WHQLPublisher

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file
  • Leaf certificate of the file
  • File’s WHQL EKU OID

4. SignedVersion

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file
  • Leaf certificate of the file
  • File’s version

5. Publisher

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file
  • Leaf certificate of the file

6. WHQL

  • Intermediate certificate of the file that belongs to Microsoft as part of the WHQL program
  • File’s WHQL EKU OID

7. LeafCertificate

  • Leaf certificate of the file

8. PcaCertificate

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file

9. RootCertificate

  • One of the Intermediate certificates of the file

10. FileName

  • One of the attributes of the file (FileDescription, InternalName, OriginalFileName, PackageFamilyName, ProductName, Filepath)

Important

These properties are mutable.

11. FilePath

  • Path of the file on disk

About SpecificFileNameLevel Options

WDAC creates file rules based on file attributes when you scan a folder using a level such as FilePublisher. Each file rule has a MinimumVersion and only one of the six SpecificFileNameLevels.

For instance, suppose a folder has 10 signed files with identical signatures and product names (or File Descriptions etc.).

In that case, WDAC creates a single file rule with the product name (or File Description etc.) and the lowest version of the 10 files. This file rule is sufficient to allow all 10 files.

The MinimumVersion is the smallest version among the files with the same signature and SpecificFileNameLevel in the folder.

Find more information in Microsoft Learn

Varshini

Varshini is a Cyber Security expert in Threat Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment, and Research. Passionate about staying ahead of emerging Threats and Technologies.

Recent Posts

ROADTools: The Modern Azure AD Exploration Framework

ROADTools is a powerful framework designed for exploring and interacting with Microsoft Azure Active Directory…

12 hours ago

How to Enumerate Microsoft 365 Groups Using PowerShell and Python

Microsoft 365 Groups (also known as M365 Groups or Unified Groups) are at the heart…

13 hours ago

SeamlessPass: Using Kerberos Tickets to Access Microsoft 365

SeamlessPass is a specialized tool designed to leverage on-premises Active Directory Kerberos tickets to obtain…

1 day ago

PPLBlade: Advanced Memory Dumping and Obfuscation Tool

PPLBlade is a powerful Protected Process Dumper designed to capture memory from target processes, hide…

2 days ago

HikPwn : Simple Scanner For Hikvision Devices With Basic Vulnerability Scanning

HikPwn: Comprehensive Guide to Scanning Hikvision Devices for Vulnerabilities If you’re searching for an efficient…

2 days ago

Comments in Bash Scripts

What Are Bash Comments? Comments in Bash scripts, are notes in your code that the…

1 week ago