Adversaries may modify access tokens to operate under a different user or system security context to perform actions and bypass access controls. Windows uses access tokens to determine the ownership of a running process. A user can manipulate access tokens to make a running process appear as though it is the child of a different process or belongs to someone other than the user that started the process. When this occurs, the process also takes on the security context associated with the new token.
An adversary can use built-in Windows API functions to copy access tokens from existing processes; this is known as token stealing. These token can then be applied to an existing process (i.e. Token Impersonation/Theft) or used to spawn a new process (i.e. Create Process with Token). An adversary must already be in a privileged user context (i.e. administrator) to steal a token. However, adversaries commonly use token stealing to elevate their security context from the administrator level to the SYSTEM level. An adversary can then use a token to authenticate to a remote system as the account for that token if the account has appropriate permissions on the remote system.(Citation: Pentestlab Token Manipulation)
Any standard user can use the <code>runas</code> command, and the Windows API functions, to create impersonation tokens; it does not require access to an administrator account. There are also other mechanisms, such as Active Directory fields, that can be used to modify access tokens.
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC-02 | Account Management | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| AC-03 | Access Enforcement | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| AC-05 | Separation of Duties | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| AC-06 | Least Privilege | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| CM-05 | Access Restrictions for Change | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| CM-06 | Configuration Settings | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| IA-02 | Identification and Authentication (organizational Users) | Protects | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation | |
| DEF-SECA-E3 | Security Alerts | Technique Scores | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation |
Comments
Microsoft Defender security alerts explain the suspicious activities detected by Defender for Identity sensors on your network, and the actors and computers involved in each threat. Alert evidence lists contain direct links to the involved users and computers, to help make your investigations easy and direct.
Defender security alerts are divided into the following categories or phases, like the phases seen in a typical cyber-attack kill chain. Learn more about each phase, the alerts designed to detect each attack, and how to use the alerts to help protect your network using the following links:
Reconnaissance and discovery alerts
Persistence and privilege escalation alerts
Credential access alerts
Lateral movement alerts
Other alerts
License: A Microsoft 365 security product license entitles customer use
of Microsoft Defender XDR.
References
|
| DEF-SECA-E3 | Security Alerts | Technique Scores | T1134 | Access Token Manipulation |
Comments
Microsoft Defender security alerts explain the suspicious activities detected by Defender for Identity sensors on your network, and the actors and computers involved in each threat. Alert evidence lists contain direct links to the involved users and computers, to help make your investigations easy and direct.
Defender security alerts are divided into the following categories or phases, like the phases seen in a typical cyber-attack kill chain. Learn more about each phase, the alerts designed to detect each attack, and how to use the alerts to help protect your network using the following links:
Reconnaissance and discovery alerts
Persistence and privilege escalation alerts
Credential access alerts
Lateral movement alerts
Other alerts
License: A Microsoft 365 security product license entitles customer use
of Microsoft Defender XDR.
References
|
| Technique ID | Technique Name | Number of Mappings |
|---|---|---|
| T1134.002 | Create Process with Token | 7 |
| T1134.001 | Token Impersonation/Theft | 10 |
| T1134.003 | Make and Impersonate Token | 7 |
| T1134.005 | SID-History Injection | 13 |