Adversaries may “pass the hash” using stolen password hashes to move laterally within an environment, bypassing normal system access controls. Pass the hash (PtH) is a method of authenticating as a user without having access to the user's cleartext password. This method bypasses standard authentication steps that require a cleartext password, moving directly into the portion of the authentication that uses the password hash.
When performing PtH, valid password hashes for the account being used are captured using a Credential Access technique. Captured hashes are used with PtH to authenticate as that user. Once authenticated, PtH may be used to perform actions on local or remote systems.
Adversaries may also use stolen password hashes to "overpass the hash." Similar to PtH, this involves using a password hash to authenticate as a user but also uses the password hash to create a valid Kerberos ticket. This ticket can then be used to perform Pass the Ticket attacks.(Citation: Stealthbits Overpass-the-Hash)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR.AA-05.02 | Privileged system access | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement protects against Pass the Hash through the use of privileged account management and the use of multi-factor authentication.
References
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| DE.CM-06.02 | Third-party access monitoring | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement protects against Pass the Hash through the use of privileged account management. Employing auditing, privilege access management, and just in time access protects against adversaries trying to obtain illicit access to critical systems.
References
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| PR.DS-02.01 | Data-in-transit protection | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement provide protection from adversaries that may possibly utilize stolen password hashes. Various methods should be used to protect data-in-transit including encryption, password hashing, and tokenization.
References
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| PR.PS-02.01 | Patch identification and application | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement is related to the implementation of a patch management program. Applying patches and upgrades for products and systems provided by vendors mitigates the risk of adversaries exploiting known vulnerabilities. An example of this for Pass the Hash is to update software by applying patch KB2871997 to Windows 7 and higher systems, limiting the default access of accounts in the local administrator group.
References
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| PR.IR-01.06 | Production environment segregation | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement provides protections for production environments. Measures such as network segmentation and access control reduce the attack surface, restrict movement by adversaries, and protect critical assets and data from compromise.
References
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| PR.AA-01.01 | Identity and credential management | Mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
This diagnostic statement protects against Pass the Hash through the use of hardened access control policies, secure defaults, password complexity requirements, multifactor authentication requirements, and removal of terminated accounts.
References
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM-06 | Configuration Settings | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| CM-05 | Access Restrictions for Change | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| SI-02 | Flaw Remediation | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| IA-02 | Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users) | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| AC-02 | Account Management | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| AC-03 | Access Enforcement | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| AC-05 | Separation of Duties | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| AC-06 | Least Privilege | mitigates | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| action.hacking.variety.Pass-the-hash | Pass-the-hash | related-to | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| action.hacking.variety.Use of stolen creds | Use of stolen or default authentication credentials (including credential stuffing) | related-to | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| action.malware.variety.Pass-the-hash | Pass-the-hash | related-to | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash | |
| action.malware.variety.Password dumper | Password dumper (extract credential hashes) | related-to | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| microsoft_sentinel | Microsoft Sentinel | technique_scores | T1550.002 | Pass the Hash |
Comments
The Microsoft Sentinel Analytics "Powershell Empire cmdlets seen in command line" query can detect the use of Empire, which can perform pass the hash attacks, but does not address other procedures.
References
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