MITRE ATT&CK Technique
Description
Adversaries may abuse time providers to execute DLLs when the system boots. The Windows Time service (W32Time) enables time synchronization across and within domains.(Citation: Microsoft W32Time Feb 2018) W32Time time providers are responsible for retrieving time stamps from hardware/network resources and outputting these values to other network clients.(Citation: Microsoft TimeProvider) Time providers are implemented as dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that are registered in the subkeys of `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\`.(Citation: Microsoft TimeProvider) 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.(Citation: Microsoft TimeProvider) Adversaries may abuse this architecture to establish persistence, specifically by creating a new arbitrarily named subkey pointing to a malicious DLL in the `DllName` value. Administrator privileges are required for time provider registration, though execution will run in context of the Local Service account.(Citation: Github W32Time Oct 2017)
Supported Platforms
Created
April 29, 2026
Last Updated
April 29, 2026
STIX Data
{'created': '2020-01-24T15:51:52.317Z',
'created_by_ref': 'identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5',
'description': 'Adversaries may abuse time providers to execute DLLs when the '
'system boots. The Windows Time service (W32Time) enables time '
'synchronization across and within domains.(Citation: '
'Microsoft W32Time Feb 2018) W32Time time providers are '
'responsible for retrieving time stamps from hardware/network '
'resources and outputting these values to other network '
'clients.(Citation: Microsoft TimeProvider)\n'
'\n'
'Time providers are implemented as dynamic-link libraries '
'(DLLs) that are registered in the subkeys of '
'`HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\W32Time\\TimeProviders\\`.(Citation: '
'Microsoft TimeProvider) 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.(Citation: Microsoft '
'TimeProvider)\n'
'\n'
'Adversaries may abuse this architecture to establish '
'persistence, specifically by creating a new arbitrarily named '
'subkey pointing to a malicious DLL in the `DllName` value. '
'Administrator privileges are required for time provider '
'registration, though execution will run in context of the '
'Local Service account.(Citation: Github W32Time Oct 2017)',
'external_references': [{'external_id': 'T1547.003',
'source_name': 'mitre-attack',
'url': 'https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1547/003'},
{'description': 'Lundgren, S. (2017, October 28). '
'w32time. Retrieved March 26, 2018.',
'source_name': 'Github W32Time Oct 2017',
'url': 'https://github.com/scottlundgren/w32time'},
{'description': 'Mathers, B. (2017, May 31). Windows '
'Time Service Tools and Settings. '
'Retrieved March 26, 2018.',
'source_name': 'Microsoft W32Time May 2017',
'url': 'https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/networking/windows-time-service/windows-time-service-tools-and-settings'},
{'description': 'Microsoft. (2018, February 1). '
'Windows Time Service (W32Time). '
'Retrieved March 26, 2018.',
'source_name': 'Microsoft W32Time Feb 2018',
'url': 'https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/networking/windows-time-service/windows-time-service-top'},
{'description': 'Microsoft. (n.d.). Time Provider. '
'Retrieved March 26, 2018.',
'source_name': 'Microsoft TimeProvider',
'url': 'https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/desktop/ms725475.aspx'},
{'description': 'Russinovich, M. (2016, January 4). '
'Autoruns for Windows v13.51. '
'Retrieved June 6, 2016.',
'source_name': 'TechNet Autoruns',
'url': 'https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902'}],
'id': 'attack-pattern--61afc315-860c-4364-825d-0d62b2e91edc',
'kill_chain_phases': [{'kill_chain_name': 'mitre-attack',
'phase_name': 'persistence'},
{'kill_chain_name': 'mitre-attack',
'phase_name': 'privilege-escalation'}],
'modified': '2025-10-24T17:48:51.278Z',
'name': 'Time Providers',
'object_marking_refs': ['marking-definition--fa42a846-8d90-4e51-bc29-71d5b4802168'],
'revoked': False,
'spec_version': '2.1',
'type': 'attack-pattern',
'x_mitre_attack_spec_version': '3.2.0',
'x_mitre_contributors': ['Scott Lundgren, @5twenty9, Carbon Black',
'Harun Küßner'],
'x_mitre_deprecated': False,
'x_mitre_detection': '',
'x_mitre_domains': ['enterprise-attack'],
'x_mitre_is_subtechnique': True,
'x_mitre_modified_by_ref': 'identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5',
'x_mitre_platforms': ['Windows'],
'x_mitre_version': '1.2'}