ETWLocksmith

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A powerful Windows command-line tool for analyzing and searching ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) provider permissions from the Windows registry.

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# ETWLocksmith

A powerful Windows command-line tool for analyzing and searching ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) provider permissions from the Windows registry.

## Overview

ETWLocksmith reads ETW provider security permissions from the Windows registry at `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Security` and provides comprehensive search and analysis capabilities. It can resolve provider names from multiple registry locations and display detailed permission information for each provider.

## Features

- 🔍 **Search by GUID**: Find providers by their GUID with automatic name resolution
- 🔍 **Search by Name**: Find providers by name (case-insensitive partial matching)
- 🔍 **Search by Permission**: Find all providers with specific permissions
- 📋 **List All Providers**: Display all registered ETW providers if they have specific permissions
- 📁 **Load from File**: Analyze providers from a JSON file
- 📤 **Export Data**: Export provider data to JSON or CSV formats
- 🔐 **Permission Analysis**: Detailed breakdown of ETW-specific permissions
- 📝 **Name Resolution**: Automatic resolution of provider names from multiple registry sources

**Note**: This tool requires administrative privileges to access the Windows registry. Always run security analysis tools in a controlled environment and review the results carefully.

## Installation

### Prerequisites
- Windows operating system
- Go 1.19 or later (for building from source)
- Administrative privileges (for registry access)

## Usage

### Basic Commands

#### List All Providers
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe list
```
Displays all registered ETW providers with their GUIDs, names, and security permissions.

#### Search by GUID
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe search-guid "{751ef305-6c6e-4fed-b847-02ef79d26aef}"
```
Searches for a specific provider by GUID. Automatically resolves the provider name and shows security permissions.

#### Search by Name
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe search-name "Microsoft-Antimalware-Service"
```
Searches for providers by name using case-insensitive partial matching. Shows both provider names and security permissions.

#### Search by Permission
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe search-permission "WMIGUID_QUERY"
```
Finds all providers that have a specific permission. Useful for security analysis and compliance checking.

#### Load Providers from File
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe load-file providers.json
```
Loads a list of providers from a JSON file and displays their permissions. The file should contain an array of objects with `providerGuid` and `name` fields.

Example JSON format:
```json
[
  {
    "providerGuid": "751ef305-6c6e-4fed-b847-02ef79d26aef",
    "name": "Microsoft-Antimalware-Service"
  },
  {
    "providerGuid": "16c6501a-ff2d-46ea-868d-8f96cb0cb52d",
    "name": "Microsoft-Windows-SEC"
  }
]
```

### Export Commands

#### Export to JSON
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe export json providers_export.json
```
Exports all provider data to a JSON file with detailed permission information.

#### Export to CSV
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe export csv providers_export.csv
```
Exports all provider data to a CSV file for analysis in spreadsheet applications.

### Information Commands

#### List Available Permissions
```bash
.\etwlocksmith.exe permissions
```
Displays all available ETW permissions with their hexadecimal values and descriptions.

## ETW Permissions

The tool recognizes and displays the following ETW-specific permissions:

| Permission | Value | Description |
|------------|-------|-------------|
| `WMIGUID_QUERY` | 0x00000001 | Query provider information |
| `WMIGUID_SET` | 0x00000002 | Modify provider settings |
| `WMIGUID_NOTIFICATION` | 0x00000004 | Receive notifications |
| `WMIGUID_READ_DESCRIPTION` | 0x00000008 | Read provider descriptions |
| `WMIGUID_EXECUTE` | 0x00000010 | Execute provider operations |
| `TRACELOG_CREATE_REALTIME` | 0x00000020 | Create real-time trace sessions |
| `TRACELOG_CREATE_ONDISK` | 0x00000040 | Create on-disk trace sessions |
| `TRACELOG_GUID_ENABLE` | 0x00000080 | Enable provider GUIDs |
| `TRACELOG_ACCESS_KERNEL_LOGGER` | 0x00000100 | Access kernel logger |
| `TRACELOG_CREATE_INPROC` | 0x00000200 | Create in-process trace sessions |
| `TRACELOG_LOG_EVENT` | 0x00000400 | Log events |
| `TRACELOG_REGISTER_GUIDS` | 0x00000800 | Register provider GUIDs |
| `TRACELOG_JOIN_GROUP` | 0x00001000 | Join trace groups |

## Provider Name Resolution

ETWLocksmith automatically resolves provider names from multiple registry locations:

1. **WBEM Providers** (`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WBEM\Providers`)
2. **WMI Security** (`SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Security`)
3. **WMI Registration** (`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WMI\Security`)
4. **ETW Autologger** (`SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Autologger`)
5. **WINEVT Publishers** (`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers`)
6. **Event Log Providers** (Application, System, Security)
7. **Well-known Providers** (built-in mappings)

## Security Permissions

The tool distinguishes between two types of providers:

### Registered Providers
Providers with explicit security permissions registered in the WMI Security registry. These show the actual security descriptor with specific access control entries (ACEs).

### Unregistered Providers
Providers found in WINEVT or other registries but without explicit security permissions. These show default ETW permissions that apply to all unregistered providers.

### Kernel Providers
**Important Note**: For kernel-mode ETW providers, the permissions shown may not be representative of actual access control. Kernel providers require a kernel driver to utilize their permissions, and the effective access control is enforced at the driver level rather than through the user-mode security descriptors displayed by this tool. The permissions shown for kernel providers reflect the user-mode interface permissions but may not indicate the actual kernel-level access capabilities.

## Output Format

### Provider Information
- **GUID**: The provider's unique identifier
- **Name**: Resolved friendly name (if available)
- **Security Permissions Registered**: Boolean indicating if explicit permissions are registered
- **Permissions**: List of access control entries with:
  - Type (Allow/Deny)
  - Account (SID or account name)
  - Access Mask (hexadecimal value)
  - Human-readable permissions

### Example Output
```
GUID: {751EF305-6C6E-4FED-B847-02EF79D26AEF}
Name: Microsoft-Antimalware-Service
Security Permissions Registered: true
Permissions:
  Allow - SYSTEM (0x00001FFF): TRACELOG_ACCESS_KERNEL_LOGGER, TRACELOG_CREATE_INPROC, TRACELOG_CREATE_ONDISK, TRACELOG_CREATE_REALTIME, TRACELOG_GUID_ENABLE, TRACELOG_JOIN_GROUP, TRACELOG_LOG_EVENT, TRACELOG_REGISTER_GUIDS, WMIGUID_EXECUTE, WMIGUID_NOTIFICATION, WMIGUID_QUERY, WMIGUID_READ_DESCRIPTION, WMIGUID_SET
  Allow - Everyone (0x001204E1): TRACELOG_CREATE_ONDISK, TRACELOG_CREATE_REALTIME, TRACELOG_GUID_ENABLE, TRACELOG_LOG_EVENT, WMIGUID_QUERY
```

## Use Cases

### Security Analysis
- Audit ETW provider permissions across systems
- Identify providers with excessive permissions
- Verify compliance with security policies

### Troubleshooting
- Debug ETW tracing issues
- Verify provider registration
- Check permission conflicts

### Compliance
- Generate reports for security audits
- Document ETW provider configurations
- Track permission changes over time

### Development
- Understand ETW provider requirements
- Debug custom ETW providers
- Verify provider security settings

## Technical Details

### Registry Locations
- **Security Permissions**: `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Security`
- **Provider Names**: Multiple locations including WINEVT, WBEM, and Event Log registries

### Security Descriptor Parsing
The tool parses Windows Security Descriptors and Discretionary Access Control Lists (DACLs) to extract:
- Access Control Entries (ACEs)
- Security Identifiers (SIDs)
- Access masks and permissions

### Default Permissions
For unregistered providers, the tool applies the standard ETW default permissions:
- Everyone: `TRACELOG_REGISTER_GUIDS`
- SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, NETWORK SERVICE, Administrators: Full access
- Performance Log Users: Extended logging permissions
- Performance Monitor Users: Notification permissions

---

# Credits

Huge thanks to Geoff Chappell for his amazing documentation page! (https://www.geoffchappell.com/studies/windows/km/ntoskrnl/api/etw/secure/index.htm)

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