T1134.001 Token Impersonation/Theft
sub-techniqueEnterpriseAdversaries may duplicate then impersonate another user's existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls. For example, an adversary can duplicate an existing token using `DuplicateToken` or `DuplicateTokenEx`. The token can then be used with `ImpersonateLoggedOnUser` to allow the calling thread to impersonate a logged on user's security context, or with `SetThreadToken` to assign the impersonated token to a thread. An adversary may perform Token Impersonation/Theft when they have a specific, existing process they want to assign the duplicated token to. For example, this may be useful for when the target user has a non-network logon session on the system. When an adversary would instead use a duplicated token to create a new process rather than attaching to an existing process, they can additionally Create Process with Token using `CreateProcessWithTokenW` or `CreateProcessAsUserW`. Token Impersonation/Theft is also distinct from Make and Impersonate Token in that it refers to duplicating an existing token, rather than creating a new one.
platforms
Platforms this applies to.
tactics
ATT&CK tactics this technique serves.
sub-technique of
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mitigations
ATT&CK mitigations that reduce this.
detected by (3)
Data components that detect this.
countered by (D3FEND)
D3FEND countermeasures that counter this.
Harden
Evict
NIST CSF 2.0 — areas of relevance (Protect / Detect)
NIST CSF 2.0 areas this most relates to (evidence-ranked).
- PR.AAIdentity Management, Authentication, and Access Controlstrong · backed by 6 of 8 mapped controls
- DE.CMContinuous Monitoringmoderate · backed by 2 of 8 mapped controls
- PR.DSData Securitymoderate · backed by 2 of 8 mapped controls
Derived from MITRE CTID (Apache-2.0) and the NIST 800-53 ↔ CSF crosswalk (public domain). Indicative relevance along the Protect/Detect axis — not a compliance assessment or coverage claim.
mitigating controls (8)
Security controls that mitigate this.
known-exploited CVEs (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-4966US | high7.5OT critical | KEV | ||
Sensitive information disclosure in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway when configured as a Gateway (VPN virtual server, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) or AAA virtual server. | ||||
attack patterns (1)
CAPEC attack patterns that exploit this.
groups (2)
Threat groups associated with this.
software (18)
Malware and tools associated with this.
campaigns (1)
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Detected by (Sigma) (9)
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source
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