Disabling Registry/Folder Inheritance

• Description: Inheritance is the mechanism by which permissions set on a parent object (like a folder or a registry key) are automatically applied to the child objects (subfolders, files, subkeys) contained within it. Disabling inheritance breaks this automatic propagation, allowing child objects to have completely different and independent permission sets from their parent.

• Mechanism: Achieved through the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog for a folder or registry key. Users with appropriate permissions can click the "Disable inheritance" button. This typically converts existing inherited permissions into explicit permissions on the object, which can then be modified or removed without affecting the parent or siblings.

• Why Cheaters Use It:

  • Hiding Malicious Entries: A bypasser could take a seemingly innocuous registry key or folder, disable inheritance on it, remove permissions for standard users/administrators, and then create a subkey or subfolder within it containing malicious data (e.g., cheat configurations, paths to hidden loaders), granting access only to a specific account or process. Browsing the parent key/folder might not reveal the hidden child due to the broken inheritance and restrictive permissions.

  • Preventing Detection/Logging: Disabling inheritance on a specific artifact location (e.g., a subkey used for logging within a larger application's registry structure) and then setting restrictive permissions could prevent system services or ScreenSharing tools from accessing or writing to that specific location, while the parent key might still appear normally accessible. An example mentioned in the context of bypasses involves disabling inheritance for specific BAM registry keys to hinder access or clearing.

• Detection: Requires manually inspecting the Advanced Security Settings for the specific folders or registry keys in question:

  • Folders: Right-click folder -> Properties -> Security tab -> Advanced. Check the status of the inheritance button (Does it say "Enable inheritance" [meaning it's currently disabled] or "Disable inheritance" [meaning it's currently enabled]?). Review the permission entries listed – are they "Inherited from..." or are they explicit permissions applied directly to this object? Finding inheritance disabled on critical system locations or user profile folders without a clear legitimate reason is suspicious.

  • Registry Keys: In regedit, right-click the key -> Permissions... -> Advanced. Perform the same checks for the inheritance status and the nature of the permission entries (explicit vs. inherited). Finding inheritance disabled on keys related to system configuration, security, or known artifact locations warrants investigation.