Question

How to monitor changes to Windows registry, using a script

Asked by: operez

Hopefully this is in the right forum, since I didnt anything specific to the registry.

I have a group of Citrix servers (10) where the Default Mail Client keeps changing.

I found the following script on Microsofts web site and have 10 scripts running on one of my PCs.

I am being notified when the registry key changes, but not who changed it or what changed it.  Is there a way to find out whether someone or some program/some web site is changing the Default Mail Client?

And is there a way that I can run one script and monitor all 10 servers?

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Asked On
2009-10-27 at 05:49:05ID24846964
Tags

Windows registry

Topics

Microsoft Operating Systems

,

Windows XP Operating System

,

VB Script

,

Scripting Languages

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Answers

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2009-10-27 at 05:52:52ID: 25671794

You can use auditing - see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324739

 

by: operezPosted on 2009-10-27 at 06:16:39ID: 25672027


How would I be able to incorporate that information in my script, so that when I get notified that the registry key has changed, it also includes what or who changed it?

As I'm typing this I'm thinking that information would go into the event log, right?

Do you have any sample code that I could look at?

And thanks for your quick response.

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2009-10-27 at 06:19:34ID: 25672054

Yes, if someoe changes a specified registry key then an event is written to the secutity log which will identify WHO and WHEN, but there will be no notification - you have to go and look for it.

 

by: operezPosted on 2009-10-30 at 06:27:35ID: 25702684

Is anyone able to provide me with sample code (VBScript) that would guide me in the right direction to monitor the registry, look at the eventlog to see who or what changed the registry and possibly reset it back to what it is suppose to be.

Thanks, in advance.

 

by: operezPosted on 2009-10-30 at 06:54:59ID: 25702938

Oh, I also wanted to see if it is possible to run one script and monitor more then one server.

Thanks

 

by: PberPosted on 2009-11-05 at 11:06:42ID: 25752762

You can monitor the registry using a script using a async WMI script.  It will fire an event when a reg key is modified.  Using a script isn't the most elequent method of doing something like this, but it works.  You need to be very careful on the scope of the keys you are monitoring as you may get flooded with many events.

See this script.

'change this to a different computer as needed.
strComputer = "."
 
Set wmiServices = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root/default") 
Set wmiSink = WScript.CreateObject("WbemScripting.SWbemSink", "SINK_") 
 
 
'this will only monitor the following key
wmiServices.ExecNotificationQueryAsync wmiSink, _ 
"SELECT * FROM RegistryKeyChangeEvent WHERE Hive='HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE' AND " & _ 
"KeyPath='SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion'" 
 
 
WScript.Echo "Listening for Registry Change Events..." & vbCrLf 
 
While(1) 
'loop every second
WScript.Sleep 1000 
Wend 
 
Sub SINK_OnObjectReady(wmiObject, wmiAsyncContext) 
   WScript.Echo "Received Registry Change Event" & vbCrLf & _ 
       "------------------------------" & vbCrLf & _ 
       wmiObject.GetObjectText_() 
 
   'do some code over here like email you or restore a key
 
End Sub

                                              
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by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2009-11-05 at 12:43:48ID: 25753797

 

by: RobSampsonPosted on 2009-11-05 at 15:37:51ID: 25755317

Hi, if you read the last paragraph from here:
http://blogs.technet.com/heyscriptingguy/archive/2005/07/11/how-can-i-monitor-changes-to-a-registry-key.aspx

It states:
"we cant do anything more specific: details such as what was changed and who changed it are not captured by the registry event provider."

So, in short, I'm not sure we *can* provide you with that level of detail, without the auditing.  Once the auditing is in place, however, you could run code like this:
http://blogs.technet.com/heyscriptingguy/archive/2005/08/16/how-can-i-monitor-the-event-logs-for-the-occurrence-of-a-specific-event.aspx

against each server to know when an Event was written to the log, then you can read *its* details.

Regards,

Rob.

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2009-11-05 at 23:20:29ID: 25757250

what about process monitor which used to be regmon and filemon

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2009-11-05 at 23:21:15ID: 25757255

I know my suggestions are not scripts but the latter one am guessing monitors file and registry activity etc for servers and clients

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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