Deletion of AD CS certificate database entries

Cortex XDR Analytics Alert Reference by Alert name

Product

Cortex XDR

Last date published

2026-01-14

Activation Period	14 Days
Training Period	30 Days
Test Period	N/A (single event)
Deduplication Period	1 Day
Required Data	Requires one of the following data sources: Windows Event Collector OR XDR Agent with eXtended Threat Hunting (XTH)
Detection Modules	Identity Analytics
Detector Tags	Active Directory Certificate Services Analytics
ATT&CK Tactic	Defense Evasion (TA0005)
ATT&CK Technique	Indicator Removal (T1070)
Severity	Informational

A user has deleted rows from the certificate database of an AD CS server.

An attacker is attempting to cover their tracks after issuing certificates.

Check the user account deleting the certificate database entries and verify its activity.
Review AD CS logs to identify any unauthorized certificate issuances, modifications, or template changes.
Examine recent activity from the user account, including logon patterns and privilege changes.

A user has deleted rows from the certificate database of an AD CS server.

An attacker is attempting to cover their tracks after issuing certificates.

Check the user account deleting the certificate database entries and verify its activity.
Review AD CS logs to identify any unauthorized certificate issuances, modifications, or template changes.
Examine recent activity from the user account, including logon patterns and privilege changes.