Masquerading as a default local account

Cortex XDR Analytics Alert Reference by data source

Product
Cortex XDR
Last date published
2024-12-03
Category
Analytics Alert Reference
Order
data source

Synopsis

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

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Low

Description

A user created a new local account with the name of a default local account, such as Guest and DefaultAccount.
An attacker may create a user with these known names to evade detection.

Attacker's Goals

An attacker is attempting to evade detection.

Investigative actions

  • Check what rights and permissions were granted to the new user.
  • Verify the action with the user who created the new account.
  • Follow actions and activities of the newly created default account.
  • Monitor the addition of the user to different groups.

Variations

Masquerading as a default local account for the first time

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Medium

Description

A user created a new local account with the name of a default local account, such as Guest and DefaultAccount.
An attacker may create a user with these known names to evade detection.

Attacker's Goals

An attacker is attempting to evade detection.

Investigative actions

  • Check what rights and permissions were granted to the new user.
  • Verify the action with the user who created the new account.
  • Follow actions and activities of the newly created default account.
  • Monitor the addition of the user to different groups.


Masquerading as a default Administrator account

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Informational

Description

A user created a new local account with the name of a default local account, such as Guest and DefaultAccount.
An attacker may create a user with these known names to evade detection.

Attacker's Goals

An attacker is attempting to evade detection.

Investigative actions

  • Check what rights and permissions were granted to the new user.
  • Verify the action with the user who created the new account.
  • Follow actions and activities of the newly created default account.
  • Monitor the addition of the user to different groups.