A Windows Firewall setting has changed
Global Windows Firewall profile behavior (`Domain`, `Private`, `Public` profiles enabled/disabled) was altered.
Event ID 4950 records global firewall profile modifications (`Profile Changed`, `Setting: EnableFirewall = False`). Disabling the firewall profile (`Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False`) is a primary indicator of ransomware preparation and lateral movement facilitation (`T1562.004`).
Failure Reason / Root Cause:
Windows Firewall profile configuration changed (`EnableFirewall` toggled).
Raw Event XML snippet
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing" Guid="{54849625-5478-4994-A5BA-3E3B0328C30D}" />
<EventID>4950</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>0</Level>
<Task>12544</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8020000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-17T09:54:44.925Z" />
<EventRecordID>1048576</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="612" ThreadID="1024" />
<Channel>Security</Channel>
<Computer>DC01.enterprise.internal</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="SubjectUserSid">S-1-5-18</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectUserName">SYSTEM</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectDomainName">NT AUTHORITY</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectLogonId">0x3e7</Data>
<!-- Event telemetry fields specific to A Windows Firewall setting has changed -->
</EventData>
</Event>MITRE ATT&CK mapping
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
T1562.004 | Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify System Firewall | Defense Evasion |
Recommended actions
- CRITICAL: If `EnableFirewall` is set to `No` or `False` across any profile, alert and isolate the host immediately. Verify if adversaries turned off the host firewall to facilitate lateral movement or ransomware propagation.