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NTDS or SAM Database File Copied
editNTDS or SAM Database File Copied
editIdentifies a copy operation of the Active Directory Domain Database (ntds.dit) or Security Account Manager (SAM) files. Those files contain sensitive information including hashed domain and/or local credentials.
Rule type: eql
Rule indices:
- winlogbeat-*
- logs-endpoint.events.*
- logs-windows.*
- endgame-*
Severity: high
Risk score: 73
Runs every: 5 minutes
Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time
)
Maximum alerts per execution: 33
References:
Tags:
- Elastic
- Host
- Windows
- Threat Detection
- Credential Access
- Elastic Endgame
Version: 102 (version history)
Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.11.0
Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 8.6.0
Rule authors: Elastic, Austin Songer
Rule license: Elastic License v2
Investigation guide
editRule query
editprocess where event.type == "start" and ( (process.pe.original_file_name in ("Cmd.Exe", "PowerShell.EXE", "XCOPY.EXE") and process.args : ("copy", "xcopy", "Copy-Item", "move", "cp", "mv") ) or (process.pe.original_file_name : "esentutl.exe" and process.args : ("*/y*", "*/vss*", "*/d*")) ) and process.args : ("*\\ntds.dit", "*\\config\\SAM", "\\*\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy*\\*", "*/system32/config/SAM*")
Threat mapping
editFramework: MITRE ATT&CKTM
-
Tactic:
- Name: Credential Access
- ID: TA0006
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0006/
-
Technique:
- Name: OS Credential Dumping
- ID: T1003
- Reference URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1003/
Rule version history
edit- Version 102 (8.6.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 101 (8.5.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and ( (process.pe.original_file_name in ("Cmd.Exe", "PowerShell.EXE", "XCOPY.EXE") and process.args : ("copy", "xcopy", "Copy-Item", "move", "cp", "mv") ) or (process.pe.original_file_name : "esentutl.exe" and process.args : ("*/y*", "*/vss*", "*/d*")) ) and process.args : ("*\\ntds.dit", "*\\config\\SAM", "\\*\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy*\\*", "*/system32/config/SAM*")
-
- Version 8 (8.4.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 6 (8.2.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 5 (7.16.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 4 (7.15.0 release)
-
-
Updated query, changed from:
process where event.type in ("start", "process_started") and process.pe.original_file_name in ("Cmd.Exe", "PowerShell.EXE", "XCOPY.EXE") and process.args : ("copy", "xcopy", "Copy-Item", "move", "cp", "mv") and process.args : ("*\\ntds.dit", "*\\config\\SAM", "\\*\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy*\\*")
-
- Version 3 (7.12.0 release)
-
- Formatting only
- Version 2 (7.11.2 release)
-
- Formatting only