bcdedit.exe
- File Path:
C:\Windows\system32\bcdedit.exe - Description: Boot Configuration Data Editor
Hashes
| Type | Hash |
|---|---|
| MD5 | 38F0419E6AC1A5B7A30438426C5D03AA |
| SHA1 | 05144616817F67849B4454AAD14F857EAF12FE7D |
| SHA256 | 7202B952F1456DBE5C75B19BFE2B8BD37F40384007F1E51FD632EAD10F1EEACC |
| SHA384 | 92220B32026C9555550157667EADC8B087B7A1A203EB5C036173AB7CCBE0743C38F0CC12F9AF3D9CCEA47ADA13F95246 |
| SHA512 | 6683C28E3858106DEE3AF793C531B239E21F382568048A5AADCEFC423448B05952EF97A3777CD2BC49ABD77DDF70508DF8ED6565230FB94F18755FDF23EF7D5D |
| SSDEEP | 3072:f3c6plKHsrMQg0bkZ61YM+ukyvNB4bduMafEh74MeUAOREquXg7PeYhuJ/XBMhdY:Pc6pgswQgY1YM+p8NB6IfECTTfYuJ/T |
Runtime Data
Usage (stdout):
BCDEDIT - Boot Configuration Data Store Editor
The Bcdedit.exe command-line tool modifies the boot configuration data store.
The boot configuration data store contains boot configuration parameters and
controls how the operating system is booted. These parameters were previously
in the Boot.ini file (in BIOS-based operating systems) or in the nonvolatile
RAM entries (in Extensible Firmware Interface-based operating systems). You can
use Bcdedit.exe to add, delete, edit, and append entries in the boot
configuration data store.
For detailed command and option information, type bcdedit.exe /? <command>. For
example, to display detailed information about the /createstore command, type:
bcdedit.exe /? /createstore
For an alphabetical list of topics in this help file, run "bcdedit /? TOPICS".
Commands that operate on a store
================================
/store Used to specify a BCD store other than the current system default.
/createstore Creates a new and empty boot configuration data store.
/export Exports the contents of the system store to a file. This file
can be used later to restore the state of the system store.
/import Restores the state of the system store using a backup file
created with the /export command.
/sysstore Sets the system store device (only affects EFI systems, does
not persist across reboots, and is only used in cases where
the system store device is ambiguous).
Commands that operate on entries in a store
===========================================
/copy Makes copies of entries in the store.
/create Creates new entries in the store.
/delete Deletes entries from the store.
/mirror Creates mirror of entries in the store.
Run bcdedit /? ID for information about identifiers used by these commands.
Commands that operate on entry options
======================================
/deletevalue Deletes entry options from the store.
/set Sets entry option values in the store.
Run bcdedit /? TYPES for a list of datatypes used by these commands.
Run bcdedit /? FORMATS for a list of valid data formats.
Commands that control output
============================
/enum Lists entries in the store.
/v Command-line option that displays entry identifiers in full,
rather than using names for well-known identifiers.
Use /v by itself as a command to display entry identifiers
in full for the ACTIVE type.
Running "bcdedit" by itself is equivalent to running "bcdedit /enum ACTIVE".
Commands that control the boot manager
======================================
/bootsequence Sets the one-time boot sequence for the boot manager.
/default Sets the default entry that the boot manager will use.
/displayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the
multiboot menu.
/timeout Sets the boot manager time-out value.
/toolsdisplayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays
the tools menu.
Commands that control Emergency Management Services for a boot application
==========================================================================
/bootems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services
for a boot application.
/ems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services for an
operating system entry.
/emssettings Sets the global Emergency Management Services parameters.
Command that control debugging
==============================
/bootdebug Enables or disables boot debugging for a boot application.
/dbgsettings Sets the global debugger parameters.
/debug Enables or disables kernel debugging for an operating system
entry.
/hypervisorsettings Sets the hypervisor parameters.
Command that control remote event logging
=========================================
/eventsettings Sets the global remote event logging parameters.
/event Enables or disables remote event logging for an operating
system entry.
Signature
- Status: Signature verified.
- Serial:
3300000266BD1580EFA75CD6D3000000000266 - Thumbprint:
A4341B9FD50FB9964283220A36A1EF6F6FAA7840 - Issuer: CN=Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
- Subject: CN=Microsoft Windows, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
File Metadata
- Original Filename: bcdedit.exe.mui
- Product Name: Microsoft Windows Operating System
- Company Name: Microsoft Corporation
- File Version: 10.0.14393.0 (rs1_release.160715-1616)
- Product Version: 10.0.14393.0
- Language: English (United States)
- Legal Copyright: Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Possible Misuse
The following table contains possible examples of bcdedit.exe being misused. While bcdedit.exe is not inherently malicious, its legitimate functionality can be abused for malicious purposes.
| Source | Source File | Example | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| sigma | proc_creation_win_bootconf_mod.yml | description: Identifies use of the bcdedit command to delete boot configuration data. This tactic is sometimes used as by malware or an attacker as a destructive technique. |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_bootconf_mod.yml | Image\|endswith: \bcdedit.exe |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_malware_wannacry.yml | - 'bcdedit' |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_susp_bcdedit.yml | description: Detects, possibly, malicious unauthorized usage of bcdedit.exe |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_susp_bcdedit.yml | - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/devtest/bcdedit--set |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_susp_bcdedit.yml | Image\|endswith: '\bcdedit.exe' |
DRL 1.0 |
| sigma | proc_creation_win_susp_spoolsv_child_processes.yml | - \bcdedit.exe |
DRL 1.0 |
| atomic-red-team | T1490.md | * bcdedit.exe can be used to disable automatic Windows recovery features by modifying boot configuration data - bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures & bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no</blockquote> |
MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary |
| atomic-red-team | T1490.md | bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures | MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary |
| atomic-red-team | T1490.md | bcdedit.exe /set {default} recoveryenabled no | MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary |
| atomic-red-team | T1490.md | bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy DisplayAllFailures >nul 2>&1 | MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary |
| atomic-red-team | T1490.md | bcdedit.exe /set {default} recoveryenabled yes >nul 2>&1 | MIT License. © 2018 Red Canary |
| signature-base | apt_olympic_destroyer.yar | $x1 = “/set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures & bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no” fullword wide | CC BY-NC 4.0 |
| signature-base | apt_turbo_campaign.yar | $sc_1 = “bcdedit -set testsigning” wide ascii | CC BY-NC 4.0 |
Additional Info*
*The information below is copied from MicrosoftDocs, which is maintained by Microsoft. Available under CC BY 4.0 license.
bcdedit
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) files provide a store that is used to describe boot applications and boot application settings. The objects and elements in the store effectively replace Boot.ini.
BCDEdit is a command-line tool for managing BCD stores. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including creating new stores, modifying existing stores, adding boot menu parameters, and so on. BCDEdit serves essentially the same purpose as Bootcfg.exe on earlier versions of Windows, but with two major improvements:
-
Exposes a wider range of boot parameters than Bootcfg.exe.
-
Has improved scripting support.
[!NOTE] Administrative privileges are required to use BCDEdit to modify BCD.
BCDEdit is the primary tool for editing the boot configuration of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows. It is included with the Windows Vista distribution in the %WINDIR%\System32 folder.
BCDEdit is limited to the standard data types and is designed primarily to perform single common changes to BCD. For more complex operations or nonstandard data types, consider using the BCD Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) application programming interface (API) to create more powerful and flexible custom tools.
Syntax
bcdedit /command [<argument1>] [<argument2>] ...
Parameters
General BCDEdit Command-Line Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| /? | Displays a list of BCDEdit commands. Running this command without an argument displays a summary of the available commands. To display detailed help for a particular command, run bcdedit /? <command>, where <command> is the name of the command you are searching for more information about. For example, bcdedit /? createstore displays detailed help for the Createstore command. |
Parameters that Operate on a Store
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| /createstore | Creates a new empty boot configuration data store. The created store is not a system store. |
| /export | Exports the contents of the system store into a file. This file can be used later to restore the state of the system store. This command is valid only for the system store. |
| /import | Restores the state of the system store by using a backup data file previously generated by using the /export option. This command deletes any existing entries in the system store before the import takes place. This command is valid only for the system store. |
| /store | This option can be used with most BCDedit commands to specify the store to be used. If this option is not specified, then BCDEdit operates on the system store. Running the bcdedit /store command by itself is equivalent to running the bcdedit /enum active command. |
Parameters that Operate on Entries in a Store
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /copy | Makes a copy of a specified boot entry in the same system store. |
| /create | Creates a new entry in the boot configuration data store. If a well-known identifier is specified, then the /application, /inherit, and /device parameters cannot be specified. If an identifier is not specified or not well known, an /application, /inherit, or /device option must be specified. |
| /delete | Deletes an element from a specified entry. |
Parameters that Operate on Entry Options
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /deletevalue | Deletes a specified element from a boot entry. |
| /set | Sets an entry option value. |
Parameters that Control Output
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /enum | Lists entries in a store. The /enum option is the default value for BCEdit, so running the bcdedit command without parameters is equivalent to running the bcdedit /enum active command. |
| /v | Verbose mode. Usually, any well-known entry identifiers are represented by their friendly shorthand form. Specifying /v as a command-line option displays all identifiers in full. Running the bcdedit /v command by itself is equivalent to running the bcdedit /enum active /v command. |
Parameters that Control the Boot Manager
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /bootsequence | Specifies a one-time display order to be used for the next boot. This command is similar to the /displayorder option, except that it is used only the next time the computer starts. Afterwards, the computer reverts to the original display order. |
| /default | Specifies the default entry that the boot manager selects when the timeout expires. |
| /displayorder | Specifies the display order that the boot manager uses when displaying boot parameters to a user. |
| /timeout | Specifies the time to wait, in seconds, before the boot manager selects the default entry. |
| /toolsdisplayorder | Specifies the display order for the boot manager to use when displaying the Tools menu. |
Parameters that Control Emergency Management Services
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /bootems | Enables or disables Emergency Management Services (EMS) for the specified entry. |
| /ems | Enables or disables EMS for the specified operating system boot entry. |
| /emssettings | Sets the global EMS settings for the computer. /emssettings does not enable or disable EMS for any particular boot entry. |
Parameters that Control Debugging
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| /bootdebug | Enables or disables the boot debugger for a specified boot entry. Although this command works for any boot entry, it is effective only for boot applications. |
| /dbgsettings | Specifies or displays the global debugger settings for the system. This command does not enable or disable the kernel debugger; use the /debug option for that purpose. To set an individual global debugger setting, use the bcdedit /set <dbgsettings> <type> <value> command. |
| /debug | Enables or disables the kernel debugger for a specified boot entry. |
Additional References
For examples of how to use BCDEdit, see the BCDEdit Options Reference article.
To see the notation used to indicate command-line syntax, see Command-Line Syntax Key.
MIT License. Copyright (c) 2020-2021 Strontic.