T1078.001: Default Accounts
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1078.001 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Initial Access, Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion, Persistence |
| Associated CAPEC Patterns | Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords (CAPEC-70) |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Default accounts are those that are built-into an OS, such as the Guest or Administrator accounts on Windows systems. Default accounts also include default factory/provider set accounts on other types of systems, software, or devices, including the root user account in AWS and the default service account in Kubernetes.(Citation: Microsoft Local Accounts Feb 2019)(Citation: AWS Root User)(Citation: Threat Matrix for Kubernetes)
Default accounts are not limited to client machines, rather also include accounts that are preset for equipment such as network devices and computer applications whether they are internal, open source, or commercial. Appliances that come preset with a username and password combination pose a serious threat to organizations that do not change it post installation, as they are easy targets for an adversary. Similarly, adversaries may also utilize publicly disclosed or stolen Private Keys or credential materials to legitimately connect to remote environments via Remote Services.(Citation: Metasploit SSH Module)
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APT40 Advisory - PRC MSS tradecraft in action
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Mitigations for this technique
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How to detect this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
User Account Authentication (User Account)
An attempt by a user to gain access to a network or computing resource, often by providing credentials (ex: Windows EID 4776 or /var/log/auth.log)Logon Session Creation (Logon Session)
Initial construction of a successful new user logon following an authentication attempt. (e.g. Windows EID 4624, /var/log/utmp, or /var/log/wmtp)Control Validation Tests for this Technique
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SP800-53 Controls
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