Boot-Critical System File Ownership, Permission Change, and Deletion

Duo Tech@duotech

•updated Jul 21, 2026•1•0•4

Detects unauthorized modification of file permissions (using icacls), transfer of ownership (using takeown), or deletion (using del) of critical Windows boot-related files such as ntoskrnl.exe, winload.exe, and bootmgr. This activity is indicative of a potential attempt to destroy system boot stability, inhibit recovery, or prepare a host for secondary stage impacts.