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ATT&CK Technique

Create Account

T1136 · persistence

Adversaries may create an account to maintain access to victim systems. With a sufficient level of access, creating such accounts may be used to establish secondary credentialed access that do not require persistent remote access tools to be deployed on the system. Accounts may be created on the local system or within a domain or cloud tenant.

In cloud environments, adversaries may create accounts that only have access to specific services, which can reduce the chance of detection.

WindowsIaaSLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesContainersSaaSOffice SuiteIdentity ProviderESXi
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Actors Using This

14
iranAgrius
north_koreaAndariel
unknown_likely_russia_alignedAnubis Ransomware
chinaAoqin Dragon
russiaAPT29
iranAPT33
iranOilRig
iranAPT35
north_koreaAPT37
north_koreaAPT38
iranAPT39
chinaAPT3
chinaAPT41
brazilBanbra
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Likely Attack Path

Techniques the same actors pair with this one distinctively - those showing up among actors who use this technique noticeably more than across all actors (lift > 1.15), grouped by kill-chain phase. The × is that lift multiplier; the shared-actor count is in the tooltip. A near-universal technique pairs with everything at baseline, so its list is short by design.
reconnaissance earlier
T1595.003 · Wordlist Scanning ×3.61T1595 · Active Scanning ×3.09T1595.002 · Vulnerability Scanning ×3.09
persistence same
T1136.001 · Local Account ×3.61T1136.002 · Domain Account ×3.61T1136.003 · Cloud Account ×3.61
privilege-escalation later
T1546.011 · Application Shimming ×3.25
credential-access later
T1003.004 · LSA Secrets ×3.61T1187 · Forced Authentication ×3.25
discovery later
T1087.003 · Email Account ×3.61
lateral-movement later
T1550.003 · Pass the Ticket ×3.61T1021.007 · Cloud Services ×3.61
command-and-control later
T1219 · Remote Access Tools ×3.29
exfiltration later
T1048.002 · Exfiltration Over Asymmetric Encrypted Non-C2 Protocol ×3.21
impact later
T1531 · Account Access Removal ×3.01
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Mitigations

4
MITRE ATT&CK mitigations - vendor-agnostic guidance for reducing exposure to this technique.
M1026Privileged Account Management

Privileged Account Management focuses on implementing policies, controls, and tools to securely manage privileged accounts (e.g., SYSTEM, root, or administrative accounts). This includes restricting access, limiting the scope of permissions, monitoring privileged account usage, and ensuring accountability through logging and auditing.

Account Permissions and Roles
  • Implement RBAC and least privilege principles to allocate permissions securely.
  • Use tools like Active Directory Group Policies to enforce access restrictions.
Credential Security
  • Deploy password vaulting tools like CyberArk, HashiCorp Vault, or KeePass for secure storage and rotation of credentials.
  • Enforce password policies for complexity, uniqueness, and expiration using tools like Microsoft Group Policy Objects (GPO).
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Enforce MFA for all privileged accounts using Duo Security, Okta, or Microsoft Azure AD MFA.
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
  • Use PAM solutions like CyberArk, BeyondTrust, or Thycotic to manage, monitor, and audit privileged access.
Auditing and Monitoring
  • Integrate activity monitoring into your SIEM (e.g., Splunk or QRadar) to detect and alert on anomalous privileged account usage.
Just-In-Time Access
  • Deploy JIT solutions like Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM) or configure ephemeral roles in AWS and GCP to grant time-limited elevated permissions.
Tools for Implementation Privileged Access Management (PAM)
  • CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Thycotic, HashiCorp Vault.
Credential Management
  • Microsoft LAPS (Local Admin Password Solution), Password Safe, HashiCorp Vault, KeePass.
Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Duo Security, Okta, Microsoft Azure MFA, Google Authenticator.
Linux Privilege Management
  • sudo configuration, SELinux, AppArmor.
Just-In-Time Access
  • Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM), AWS IAM Roles with session constraints, GCP Identity-Aware Proxy.
M1028Operating System Configuration

Operating System Configuration involves adjusting system settings and hardening the default configurations of an operating system (OS) to mitigate adversary exploitation and prevent abuse of system functionality. Proper OS configurations address security vulnerabilities, limit attack surfaces, and ensure robust defense against a wide range of techniques.

Disable Unused Features
  • Turn off SMBv1, LLMNR, and NetBIOS where not needed.
  • Disable remote registry and unnecessary services.
Enforce OS-level Protections
  • Enable Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), and Control Flow Guard (CFG) on Windows.
  • Use AppArmor or SELinux on Linux for mandatory access controls.
Secure Access Settings
  • Enable User Account Control (UAC) for Windows.
  • Restrict root/sudo access on Linux/macOS and enforce strong permissions using sudoers files.
File System Hardening
  • Implement least-privilege access for critical files and system directories.
  • Audit permissions regularly using tools like icacls (Windows) or getfacl/chmod (Linux/macOS).
Secure Remote Access
  • Restrict RDP, SSH, and VNC to authorized IPs using firewall rules.
  • Enable NLA for RDP and enforce strong password/lockout policies.
Harden Boot Configurations
  • Enable Secure Boot and enforce UEFI/BIOS password protection.
  • Use BitLocker or LUKS to encrypt boot drives.
Regular Audits
  • Periodically audit OS configurations using tools like CIS Benchmarks or SCAP tools.
Tools for Implementation Windows
  • Microsoft Group Policy Objects (GPO): Centrally enforce OS security settings.
  • Windows Defender Exploit Guard: Built-in OS protection against exploits.
  • CIS-CAT Pro: Audit Windows security configurations based on CIS Benchmarks.
Linux/macOS
  • AppArmor/SELinux: Enforce mandatory access controls.
  • Lynis: Perform comprehensive security audits.
  • SCAP Security Guide: Automate configuration hardening using Security Content Automation Protocol.
Cross-Platform
  • Ansible or Chef/Puppet: Automate configuration hardening at scale.
  • OpenSCAP: Perform compliance and configuration checks.
M1030Network Segmentation

Network segmentation involves dividing a network into smaller, isolated segments to control and limit the flow of traffic between devices, systems, and applications. By segmenting networks, organizations can reduce the attack surface, restrict lateral movement by adversaries, and protect critical assets from compromise. Effective network segmentation leverages a combination of physical boundaries, logical separation through VLANs, and access control policies enforced by network appliances like firewalls, routers, and cloud-based configurations.

Segment Critical Systems
  • Identify and group systems based on their function, sensitivity, and risk. Examples include payment systems, HR databases, production systems, and internet-facing servers.
  • Use VLANs, firewalls, or routers to enforce logical separation.
Implement DMZ for Public-Facing Services
  • Host web servers, DNS servers, and email servers in a DMZ to limit their access to internal systems.
  • Apply strict firewall rules to filter traffic between the DMZ and internal networks.
Use Cloud-Based Segmentation
  • In cloud environments, use VPCs, subnets, and security groups to isolate applications and enforce traffic rules.
  • Apply AWS Transit Gateway or Azure VNet peering for controlled connectivity between cloud segments.
Apply Microsegmentation for Workloads
  • Use software-defined networking (SDN) tools to implement workload-level segmentation and prevent lateral movement.
Restrict Traffic with ACLs and Firewalls
  • Apply Access Control Lists (ACLs) to network devices to enforce "deny by default" policies.
  • Use firewalls to restrict both north-south (external-internal) and east-west (internal-internal) traffic.
Monitor and Audit Segmented Networks
  • Regularly review firewall rules, ACLs, and segmentation policies.
  • Monitor network flows for anomalies to ensure segmentation is effective.
Test Segmentation Effectiveness
  • Perform periodic penetration tests to verify that unauthorized access is blocked between network segments.
M1032Multi-factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enhances security by requiring users to provide at least two forms of verification to prove their identity before granting access. These factors typically include: - Something you know: Passwords, PINs. - Something you have: Physical tokens, smartphone authenticator apps. - Something you are: Biometric data such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or retinal scans. Implementing MFA across all critical systems and services ensures robust protection against account takeover and unauthorized access.

Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Use IAM solutions like Azure Active Directory, Okta, or AWS IAM to enforce MFA policies for all user logins, especially for privileged roles.
  • Enable conditional access policies to enforce MFA for risky sign-ins (e.g., unfamiliar devices, geolocations).
  • Enable Conditional Access policies to only allow logins from trusted devices, such as those enrolled in Intune or joined via Hybrid/Entra.
Authentication Tools and Methods
  • Use authenticator applications such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy for time-based one-time passwords (TOTP).
  • Deploy hardware-based tokens like YubiKey, RSA SecurID, or smart cards for additional security.
  • Enforce biometric authentication for compatible devices and applications.
Secure Legacy Systems
  • Integrate MFA solutions with older systems using third-party tools like Duo Security or Thales SafeNet.
  • Enable RADIUS/NPS servers to facilitate MFA for VPNs, RDP, and other network logins.
Monitoring and Alerting
  • Use SIEM tools to monitor failed MFA attempts, login anomalies, or brute-force attempts against MFA systems.
  • Implement alerts for suspicious MFA activities, such as repeated failed codes or new device registrations.
Training and Policy Enforcement
  • Educate employees on the importance of MFA and secure authenticator usage.
  • Enforce policies that require MFA on all critical systems, especially for remote access, privileged accounts, and cloud applications.
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Detection Coverage

2/6 layers
Coverage across standard detection surfaces. Rows marked none have no rule of that type mapped. Some are real blind spots worth closing; others are simply not applicable to this technique (e.g. YARA matches malware files, not network behaviour).
Behavioral / log (Sigma) 3
Analytics (MITRE CAR) 1
Runtime / container (Falco) none
File / malware (YARA) none
Network (Suricata/Snort) none
Vuln scan (Nuclei) none
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CAR Analytics

1
MITRE Cyber Analytics Repository - field-tested detection logic for this technique, written as pseudocode/queries you adapt to your own SIEM (Splunk, Sentinel, EQL). Each is a ready starting point for a detection rule, not just a description.
CAR-2021-05-010Moderate coverageCreate local admin accounts using net exe

This search looks for the creation of local administrator accounts using net.exe.

Pseudocode - Pseudocode - CertUtil certificate extraction
processes = search Process:Create
certutil_downloads = filter processes where (
  (exe = C:\Windows\System32\net.exe OR exe = C:\Windows\System32\net1.exe ) AND (command_line = *localgroup* OR command_line = */add* OR command_line = *user* ))
output certutil_downloads
Splunk - Splunk code
| tstats count values(Processes.user) as user values(Processes.parent_process) as parent_process min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime from datamodel=Endpoint.Processes where (Processes.process_name=net.exe OR Processes.process_name=net1.exe) AND (Processes.process=*localgroup* OR Processes.process=*/add* OR Processes.process=*user*) by Processes.process Processes.process_name Processes.dest   |`create_local_admin_accounts_using_net_exe_filter`
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Comply & Defend

NIST 800-53AC-02, AC-03, AC-04, AC-05, AC-06, AC-20, CM-05, CM-06, CM-07, IA-02, IA-05, SC-07, SC-46, SI-04, SI-07
D3FEND7 defensive techniques
Intelligence Graph · click any node to traverse
CVETechnique ActorTool Family
drag to reposition · click any node to traverse · button top-right enlarges
External lookups - second-class, for what we don’t hold ourselves
MITRE ATT&CKAtomic Red Teamcar (MITRE)
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