Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Default accounts are those that are built-into an OS, such as the Guest or Administrator accounts on Windows systems or default factory/provider set accounts on other types of systems, software, or devices.(Citation: Microsoft Local Accounts Feb 2019)
Default accounts are not limited to client machines, rather also include accounts that are preset for equipment such as network devices and computer applications whether they are internal, open source, or commercial. Appliances that come preset with a username and password combination pose a serious threat to organizations that do not change it post installation, as they are easy targets for an adversary. Similarly, adversaries may also utilize publicly disclosed or stolen Private Keys or credential materials to legitimately connect to remote environments via Remote Services.(Citation: Metasploit SSH Module)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alerts_for_windows_machines | Alerts for Windows Machines | technique_scores | T1078.001 | Default Accounts |
Comments
This control may detect suspicious activity from existing Windows accounts and logons from suspicious IP addresses. The following alerts may be generated: "A logon from a malicious IP has been detected", "A logon from a malicious IP has been detected. [seen multiple times]".
References
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| azure_sentinel | Azure Sentinel | technique_scores | T1078.001 | Default Accounts |
Comments
The Azure Sentinel Hunting "Rare processes run by Service accounts" query can identify potential misuse of default accounts. Because this detection is specific to rare processes its coverage score is Minimal resulting in a Minimal score.
References
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| cloud_app_security_policies | Cloud App Security Policies | technique_scores | T1078.001 | Default Accounts |
Comments
This control can identify anomalous behavior such as geographically impossible logins and out-of-character activity.
Relevant alerts include "Activity from anonymous IP address" , "Activity from infrequent country", "Activity from suspicious IP address", "Impossible Travel", and "Activity performed by terminated user".
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| azure_ad_identity_secure_score | Azure AD Identity Secure Score | technique_scores | T1078.001 | Default Accounts |
Comments
This control's "Protect and manage local admin passwords with Microsoft LAPS" recommendation recommends periodically running and reviewing the Microsoft LAPS usage report that identifies all Windows based devices not protected by Microsoft LAPS. This can help reduce the compromise of local administrator accounts.
Because this is a recommendations and not actually enforced coupled with being limited to sensitive accounts, the assessed score is Minimal.
References
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| sql_vulnerability_assessment | SQL Vulnerability Assessment | technique_scores | T1078.001 | Default Accounts |
Comments
This control may provide recommendations to disable default accounts and restrict permissions for existing accounts.
References
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