Suspicious Get Local Groups Information

Detects the use of PowerShell modules and cmdlets to gather local group information. Adversaries may use local system permission groups to determine which groups exist and which users belong to a particular group such as the local administrators group.

title: Suspicious Get Local Groups Information
id: cef24b90-dddc-4ae1-a09a-8764872f69fc
related:
    - id: fa6a5a45-3ee2-4529-aa14-ee5edc9e29cb
      type: similar
status: test
description: |
    Detects the use of PowerShell modules and cmdlets to gather local group information.
    Adversaries may use local system permission groups to determine which groups exist and which users belong to a particular group such as the local administrators group.
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1069.001/T1069.001.md
author: frack113
date: 2021-12-12
modified: 2025-08-22
tags:
    - attack.discovery
    - attack.t1069.001
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: ps_module
    definition: 0ad03ef1-f21b-4a79-8ce8-e6900c54b65b
detection:
    selection_localgroup:
        - Payload|contains:
              - 'get-localgroup '
              - 'get-localgroupmember '
        - ContextInfo|contains:
              - 'get-localgroup '
              - 'get-localgroupmember '
    selection_wmi_module:
        - Payload|contains:
              - 'get-wmiobject '
              - 'gwmi '
              - 'get-ciminstance '
              - 'gcim '
        - ContextInfo|contains|all:
              - 'get-wmiobject '
              - 'gwmi '
              - 'get-ciminstance '
              - 'gcim '
    selection_wmi_class:
        - Payload|contains: 'win32_group'
        - ContextInfo|contains: 'win32_group'
    condition: selection_localgroup or all of selection_wmi_*
falsepositives:
    - Administrator script
level: low

• T1069.001Local Groups

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1069.001/T1069.001.md↗