IMPORTANT: No additional bug fixes or documentation updates
will be released for this version. For the latest information, see the
current release documentation.
User Account Creation
editUser Account Creation
editIdentifies attempts to create new users. This is sometimes done by attackers to increase access or establish persistence on a system or domain.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- winlogbeat-*
- logs-endpoint.events.*
- logs-windows.*
- endgame-*
Severity: low
Risk score: 21
Runs every: 5m
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum alerts per execution: 100
References: None
Tags:
- Domain: Endpoint
- OS: Windows
- Use Case: Threat Detection
- Tactic: Persistence
- Resources: Investigation Guide
- Data Source: Elastic Endgame
- Data Source: Elastic Defend
Version: 107
Rule authors:
- Elastic
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Investigation guide
edit## Triage and analysis ### Investigating User Account Creation Attackers may create new accounts (both local and domain) to maintain access to victim systems. This rule identifies the usage of `net.exe` to create new accounts. #### Possible investigation steps - Investigate the process execution chain (parent process tree) for unknown processes. Examine their executable files for prevalence, whether they are located in expected locations, and if they are signed with valid digital signatures. - Identify the user account that performed the action and whether it should perform this kind of action. - Identify if the account was added to privileged groups or assigned special privileges after creation. - Investigate other alerts associated with the user/host during the past 48 hours. ### False positive analysis - Account creation is a common administrative task, so there is a high chance of the activity being legitimate. Before investigating further, verify that this activity is not benign. ### Related rules - Creation of a Hidden Local User Account - 2edc8076-291e-41e9-81e4-e3fcbc97ae5e - Windows User Account Creation - 38e17753-f581-4644-84da-0d60a8318694 ### Response and remediation - Initiate the incident response process based on the outcome of the triage. - Isolate the involved host to prevent further post-compromise behavior. - Delete the created account. - Investigate credential exposure on systems compromised or used by the attacker to ensure all compromised accounts are identified. Reset passwords for these accounts and other potentially compromised credentials, such as email, business systems, and web services. - Determine the initial vector abused by the attacker and take action to prevent reinfection through the same vector. - Using the incident response data, update logging and audit policies to improve the mean time to detect (MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).
Rule query
editprocess where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and process.name : ("net.exe", "net1.exe") and not process.parent.name : "net.exe" and (process.args : "user" and process.args : ("/ad", "/add"))
Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Persistence
- ID: TA0003
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/
-
Technique:
- Name: Create Account
- ID: T1136
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136/
-
Sub-technique:
- Name: Local Account
- ID: T1136.001
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136/001/