Potential Credential Dumping Activity Via LSASS

01

description

What this is, in brief.

Detects process access requests to the LSASS process with specific call trace calls and access masks. This behaviour is expressed by many credential dumping tools such as Mimikatz, NanoDump, Invoke-Mimikatz, Procdump and even the Taskmgr dumping feature.

02

rule source (YAML)

title: Potential Credential Dumping Activity Via LSASS
id: 5ef9853e-4d0e-4a70-846f-a9ca37d876da
status: test
description: |
    Detects process access requests to the LSASS process with specific call trace calls and access masks.
    This behaviour is expressed by many credential dumping tools such as Mimikatz, NanoDump, Invoke-Mimikatz, Procdump and even the Taskmgr dumping feature.
references:
    - https://web.archive.org/web/20230329170326/https://blog.menasec.net/2019/02/threat-hunting-21-procdump-or-taskmgr.html
    - https://web.archive.org/web/20230208123920/https://cyberwardog.blogspot.com/2017/03/chronicles-of-threat-hunter-hunting-for_22.html
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1003.001/T1003.001.md
    - https://research.splunk.com/endpoint/windows_possible_credential_dumping/
author: Samir Bousseaden, Michael Haag
date: 2019-04-03
modified: 2026-06-29
tags:
    - attack.credential-access
    - attack.t1003.001
    - attack.s0002
logsource:
    category: process_access
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        TargetImage|endswith: '\lsass.exe'
        GrantedAccess|contains:
            - '0x1038'
            - '0x1438'
            - '0x143a'
            - '0x1fffff' # Too many false positives
            # - '0x01000'  # Too many false positives
            # - '0x1010'   # Too many false positives
            # - '0x1400'  # Too many false positives
            # - '0x1410' # Too many false positives
            # - '0x40'   # Too many false positives
        CallTrace|contains:
            - 'dbgcore.dll'
            - 'dbghelp.dll'
            - 'kernel32.dll'
            - 'kernelbase.dll'
            - 'ntdll.dll'
    filter_main_system_user:
        SourceUser|contains: # Covers many language settings
            - 'AUTHORI'
            - 'AUTORI'
    filter_optional_thor:
        CallTrace|contains|all:
            - ':\Windows\Temp\asgard2-agent\'
            - '\thor\thor64.exe+'
            - '|UNKNOWN('
        GrantedAccess: '0x103800'
    filter_optional_sysmon:
        SourceImage|endswith:
            - ':\Windows\Sysmon64.exe'
            - ':\Windows\Sysmon64a.exe'
    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: medium

04

detects techniques (1)

ATT&CK techniques this enables or maps to.

T1003.001LSASS Memory

05

software named (1)

Malware and tools associated with this.

S0002Mimikatz

06

references

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.