Short-lived user 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

1 Hour

Deduplication Period

1 Hour

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

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

Valid Accounts (T1078)

Severity

Low

Description

A user was created and deleted within a short period of time.

Attacker's Goals

Evasion using a valid account.

Investigative actions

  • Check the user who created the account and verify the activity.
  • Confirm that the account creation was not accidental.

Variations

Abnormal short-lived user account

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

Valid Accounts (T1078)

Severity

Low

Description

A user was observed creating and deleting an account a short time later. This user does not regularly create and delete accounts.

Attacker's Goals

Evasion using a valid account.

Investigative actions

  • Check the user who created the account and verify the activity.
  • Confirm that the account creation was not accidental.


Short-lived hidden user account

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

Valid Accounts (T1078)

Severity

Medium

Description

A user was created with a name that mimics a machine account and later deleted within a short period of time. This may be an attacker's attempt to evade detection.

Attacker's Goals

Evasion using a valid account.

Investigative actions

  • Check the user who created the account and verify the activity.
  • Confirm that the account creation was not accidental.