Adversaries may use Valid Accounts to log into a computer using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The adversary may then perform actions as the logged-on user.
Remote desktop is a common feature in operating systems. It allows a user to log into an interactive session with a system desktop graphical user interface on a remote system. Microsoft refers to its implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) as Remote Desktop Services (RDS).(Citation: TechNet Remote Desktop Services)
Adversaries may connect to a remote system over RDP/RDS to expand access if the service is enabled and allows access to accounts with known credentials. Adversaries will likely use Credential Access techniques to acquire credentials to use with RDP. Adversaries may also use RDP in conjunction with the Accessibility Features or Terminal Services DLL for Persistence.(Citation: Alperovitch Malware)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| intel-ptt | Intel Platform Trust Technology | Win 11, ESS/Hello | T1021.001 | Remote Desktop Protocol |
Comments
Windows Hello ESS authentication leverages virtual sandbox(Intel VT-X) to protect authentication data to significantly reduce the risk of brute force attacks on passwords, as biometrics typically require physical presence or biometric data that cannot be easily guessed or replicated. It uses the TPM (Intel PTT) to store authentication data including public/private key pairs. Windows Hello also includes Passkeys, a passwordless authentication option that generates public/private key pair with the public key shared with the service requiring authentication and the private key stored in the TPM, which is only released after authentication locally on the device using a biometric factor such as fingerprint, facial recognition, or a PIN. Windows Hello helps protect against the risk of credentials being stored in files by eliminating the need for passwords in many authentication scenarios.
Microsoft Windows emulates a smart card and uses the Windows Hello keys that are tied to user certificates that used for authentication for remote services such as Remote Desktop Protocol making difficult for an attacker to use those credentials.
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
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| CVE-2023-22952 | Multiple SugarCRM Products Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | secondary_impact | T1021.001 | Remote Desktop Protocol |
Comments
This Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability is exploited by an unauthenticated attacker via a crafted request can inject custom PHP code through the EmailTemplates because of missing input validation.
This vulnerability has been exploited by threat actors to gain initial access to AWS accounts by injecting custom PHP code through the SugarCRM email templates module. Attackers leveraged misconfigurations to expand their access, obtaining long-term AWS access keys from compromised EC2 instances. They used tools like Pacu and Scout Suite to explore AWS services such as EC2, IAM, RDS, and S3, and gathered account information via AWS Organizations and Cost and Usage services. The attackers moved laterally by creating RDS snapshots and new EC2 instances, modifying security groups, and attempting to escalate privileges by logging in as the Root user. They also employed defense evasion techniques, including deploying resources in non-standard regions and intermittently stopping EC2 instances to avoid detection and minimize costs.
The exploit in question is actively being used to compromise hosts by installing a PHP-based web shell. It involves an authentication bypass against the "/index.php" endpoint of the targeted service. Once bypassed, the attacker obtains a cookie and sends a secondary POST request to "/cache/images/sweet.phar" to upload a small PNG-encoded file containing PHP code. This file acts as a web shell, allowing the execution of commands specified in the base64-encoded query argument "c". For example, a request like 'POST /cache/images/sweet.phar?c="L2Jpbi9pZA=="' would execute the command "/bin/id" with the same permissions as the web service's user.
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