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Create Account: Domain Account
Other sub-techniques of Create Account (3)
| ID | Name |
|---|---|
| T1136.001 | Local Account |
| T1136.002 | Domain Account |
| T1136.003 | Cloud Account |
Adversaries may create a domain account to maintain access to victim systems. Domain accounts are those managed by Active Directory Domain Services where access and permissions are configured across systems and services that are part of that domain. Domain accounts can cover user, administrator, and service accounts. With a sufficient level of access, the net user /add /domain command can be used to create a domain account.
Such accounts may be used to establish secondary credentialed access that do not require persistent remote access tools to be deployed on the system.
Procedure Examples
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Empire |
Empire has a module for creating a new domain user if permissions allow.[1] |
| Net |
The |
| Pupy |
Pupy can user PowerView to execute "net user" commands and create domain accounts.[3] |
| Soft Cell |
Soft Cell created rogue, high-privileged domain user accounts to maintain access across waves of a compromise.[4] |
Mitigations
| Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|
| Multi-factor Authentication |
Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. |
| Network Segmentation |
Configure access controls and firewalls to limit access to domain controllers and systems used to create and manage accounts. |
| Operating System Configuration |
Protect domain controllers by ensuring proper security configuration for critical servers. |
| Privileged Account Management |
Do not allow domain administrator accounts to be used for day-to-day operations that may expose them to potential adversaries on unprivileged systems. |
Detection
Monitor for processes and command-line parameters associated with domain account creation, such as net user /add /domain. Collect data on account creation within a network. Event ID 4720 is generated when a user account is created on a Windows domain controller. [5] Perform regular audits of domain accounts to detect suspicious accounts that may have been created by an adversary.