Potential NTLM Relay Attack

Cortex XSIAM Analytics Alert Reference by Alert name

Product
Cortex XSIAM
Last date published
2025-06-10
Category
Analytics Alert Reference
Index by
Alert name

Synopsis

Activation Period

14 Days

Training Period

30 Days

Test Period

10 Minutes

Deduplication Period

1 Day

Required Data

  • Requires:
    • XDR Agent

Detection Modules

Identity Analytics

Detector Tags

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Informational

Description

Multiple NTLM authentications were made to the same workstation and user from different IPs.
This might indicate a potential NTLM Relay attack.

Attacker's Goals

The attacker is attempting a man-in-the-middle NTLM relay attack to intercept authentication attempts and move laterally within an environment.

Investigative actions

  • Ensure that the alerted host is not a NAT device or proxy that replicates or forwards network traffic as part of its expected operational behavior.
  • Check if the workstation supports weak, outdated versions of NTLM.
  • Check for network activity to and from the suspicious IP address and workstation, to verify if they were compromised.
  • Check for process activity to and from the suspicious IP address to verify if it was compromised.
  • Check for changes in the network configurations, including indicators of poisoning attacks.
  • Monitor closely the actions of the potentially compromised user account for any anomalous behavior.

Variations

NTLM Relay Attack using a sensitive user and a vulnerable package

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Medium

Description

Multiple NTLM authentications were made to the same workstation and sensitive user from different IPs using a vulnerable NTLM package.
This might indicate a potential NTLM Relay attack.

Attacker's Goals

The attacker is attempting a man-in-the-middle NTLM relay attack to intercept authentication attempts and move laterally within an environment.

Investigative actions

  • Ensure that the alerted host is not a NAT device or proxy that replicates or forwards network traffic as part of its expected operational behavior.
  • Check if the workstation supports weak, outdated versions of NTLM.
  • Check for network activity to and from the suspicious IP address and workstation, to verify if they were compromised.
  • Check for process activity to and from the suspicious IP address to verify if it was compromised.
  • Check for changes in the network configurations, including indicators of poisoning attacks.
  • Monitor closely the actions of the potentially compromised user account for any anomalous behavior.


Potential NTLM Relay Attack using a vulnerable package

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Low

Description

Multiple NTLM authentications were made to the same workstation and user from different IPs using a vulnerable NTLM package.
This might indicate a potential NTLM Relay attack.

Attacker's Goals

The attacker is attempting a man-in-the-middle NTLM relay attack to intercept authentication attempts and move laterally within an environment.

Investigative actions

  • Ensure that the alerted host is not a NAT device or proxy that replicates or forwards network traffic as part of its expected operational behavior.
  • Check if the workstation supports weak, outdated versions of NTLM.
  • Check for network activity to and from the suspicious IP address and workstation, to verify if they were compromised.
  • Check for process activity to and from the suspicious IP address to verify if it was compromised.
  • Check for changes in the network configurations, including indicators of poisoning attacks.
  • Monitor closely the actions of the potentially compromised user account for any anomalous behavior.


Potential NTLM Relay Attack using a sensitive user

Synopsis

ATT&CK Tactic

ATT&CK Technique

Severity

Low

Description

Multiple NTLM authentications were made to the same workstation and sensitive user from different IPs.
This might indicate a potential NTLM Relay attack.

Attacker's Goals

The attacker is attempting a man-in-the-middle NTLM relay attack to intercept authentication attempts and move laterally within an environment.

Investigative actions

  • Ensure that the alerted host is not a NAT device or proxy that replicates or forwards network traffic as part of its expected operational behavior.
  • Check if the workstation supports weak, outdated versions of NTLM.
  • Check for network activity to and from the suspicious IP address and workstation, to verify if they were compromised.
  • Check for process activity to and from the suspicious IP address to verify if it was compromised.
  • Check for changes in the network configurations, including indicators of poisoning attacks.
  • Monitor closely the actions of the potentially compromised user account for any anomalous behavior.