Detection of Modify Alarm Settings

Technique Detected:  Modify Alarm Settings | T0838

ID: DET0777
Domains: ICS
Analytics: AN1909, AN2117, AN2211, AN2276
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 13 October 2026

Analytics

AN1909

Real-time monitoring identifies Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) SET commands to alarm threshold Object Identifiers (OIDs) on Industrial Control System (ICS) network devices or process monitoring systems from a source not in the approved Network Management System (NMS) Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) subnet. OT operational-fidelity gate: Alert only when the action is not attributable to an authorized operator/engineering source for the specific target and function, and it is either outside an approved change/maintenance window or lacks matching change-control context; where telemetry permits, require corroborating device, configuration, or process-state effect. Suppress activity that fully matches approved maintenance, commissioning, failover, recovery, or tested control procedures.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Application Log Content (DC0038) networkdevice:snmp Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) SET to alarm threshold Object Identifier (OID) from source not in approved Network Management System (NMS) Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) subnet
Mutable Elements
Field Description
AlarmThresholdAddressRange Register addresses specifically corresponding to alarm threshold/deadband configuration.
ApprovedWriteSources IP allowlist of sources authorized to modify alarm configuration.
SafeAlarmThresholdRange Documented safe range for alarm thresholds per parameter.

AN2117

Real-time monitoring identifies a write to alarm threshold configuration files on a Linux-based alarm server by a User Identifier (UID) that is not the alarm management service. OT operational-fidelity gate: Alert only when the action is not attributable to an authorized operator/engineering source for the specific target and function, and it is either outside an approved change/maintenance window or lacks matching change-control context; where telemetry permits, require corroborating device, configuration, or process-state effect. Suppress activity that fully matches approved maintenance, commissioning, failover, recovery, or tested control procedures.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
File Modification (DC0061) auditd:SYSCALL+PATH Linux Audit SYSCALL+PATH records: write to alarm threshold config file by uid not in authorized alarm admin User Identifiers (UIDs)
Mutable Elements
Field Description
AlarmThresholdAddressRange Register addresses specifically corresponding to alarm threshold/deadband configuration.
ApprovedWriteSources IP allowlist of sources authorized to modify alarm configuration.
SafeAlarmThresholdRange Documented safe range for alarm thresholds per parameter.

AN2211

Real-time monitoring identifies an Industrial Control System (ICS) protocol write specifically targeting alarm threshold/deadband configuration registers from a source not in the approved engineering list, where the new value widens the alarm deadband or shifts the trip point beyond the safe operating envelope, without operator acknowledgment. OT operational-fidelity gate: Alert only when the action is not attributable to an authorized operator/engineering source for the specific target and function, and it is either outside an approved change/maintenance window or lacks matching change-control context; where telemetry permits, require corroborating device, configuration, or process-state effect. Suppress activity that fully matches approved maintenance, commissioning, failover, recovery, or tested control procedures.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Device Alarm (DC0108) operationaldb:AlarmEvent alarm threshold configuration changed without operator_ack or change ticket reference
Network Traffic Content (DC0085) NSM:Content write to alarm threshold address range from source not in approved write sources with new value outside safe alarm threshold range
Mutable Elements
Field Description
AlarmThresholdAddressRange Register addresses specifically corresponding to alarm threshold/deadband configuration.
ApprovedWriteSources IP allowlist of sources authorized to modify alarm configuration.
SafeAlarmThresholdRange Documented safe range for alarm thresholds per parameter.

AN2276

Real-time monitoring identifies a write to alarm threshold configuration on an Human-Machine Interface (HMI)/alarm server from a process other than the recognized alarm management application, without a corresponding operator session. OT operational-fidelity gate: Alert only when the action is not attributable to an authorized operator/engineering source for the specific target and function, and it is either outside an approved change/maintenance window or lacks matching change-control context; where telemetry permits, require corroborating device, configuration, or process-state effect. Suppress activity that fully matches approved maintenance, commissioning, failover, recovery, or tested control procedures.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
File Creation (DC0039) WinEventLog:Sysmon EventCode=11 to alarm threshold config path by image not in Human-Machine Interface (HMI) alarm parent allowlist
Mutable Elements
Field Description
AlarmThresholdAddressRange Register addresses specifically corresponding to alarm threshold/deadband configuration.
ApprovedWriteSources IP allowlist of sources authorized to modify alarm configuration.
SafeAlarmThresholdRange Documented safe range for alarm thresholds per parameter.