T1552.006 Group Policy Preferences
sub-techniqueEnterpriseAdversaries may attempt to find unsecured credentials in Group Policy Preferences (GPP). GPP are tools that allow administrators to create domain policies with embedded credentials. These policies allow administrators to set local accounts. These group policies are stored in SYSVOL on a domain controller. This means that any domain user can view the SYSVOL share and decrypt the password (using the AES key that has been made public). The following tools and scripts can be used to gather and decrypt the password file from Group Policy Preference XML files: * Metasploit’s post exploitation module: <code>post/windows/gather/credentials/gpp</code> * Get-GPPPassword * gpprefdecrypt.py On the SYSVOL share, adversaries may use the following command to enumerate potential GPP XML files: <code>dir /s *.xml</code>
platforms
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tactics
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sub-technique of
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mitigations
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detected by (4)
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countered by (D3FEND)
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NIST CSF 2.0 — areas of relevance (Protect / Detect)
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- PR.AAIdentity Management, Authentication, and Access Controlmoderate · backed by 5 of 12 mapped controls
- PR.PSPlatform Securitymoderate · backed by 5 of 12 mapped controls
- ID.IMImprovementmoderate · backed by 4 of 12 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 (12)
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attack patterns (1)
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groups (2)
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software (3)
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Detected by (Sigma) (6)
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