How to add registry entries without admin privileges

[datagroove DF Member Posts:1,502 Threads:1,018 Reputation 1]

Until recently it wasn't possible to add registry keys without privilege escalation in command prompt. A user to do this in a limited account needed to have access to the admin group. Here is a batch example that add registry keys if command prompt was executed as Admin. (If the command prompt isn't executed as Admin the system will deny those entries)

Code:

reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\adminservice.exe" /v Debugger /t REG_SZ /d "ntsd -d" /f

The solution to add registry keys in a restricted environment is using mshta.

Code:

mshta "javascript:var exec = 'ntsd -d'; var Shell = new ActiveXObject('WScript.Shell'); Shell.RegWrite('HKLM\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\Image File Execution Options\\adminservice.exe\\Debugger',exec);close()"

This workaround creates a ActiveX Object that add the registry keys without having admin privileges.