OS Credential Dumping: LSASS Memory

APT1 has been known to use credential dumping using Mimikatz.^[9]

APT28 regularly deploys both publicly available (ex: Mimikatz) and custom password retrieval tools on victims.^[41][42]

APT3 has used a tool to dump credentials by injecting itself into lsass.exe and triggering with the argument "dig."^[38]

APT32 used Mimikatz and customized versions of Windows Credential Dumper to harvest credentials.^[49][50]

APT33 has used a variety of publicly available tools like LaZagne, Mimikatz, and ProcDump to dump credentials.^[53][54]

APT39 has used Mimikatz, Windows Credential Editor and ProcDump to dump credentials. ^[52]

APT41 used the Windows Credential Editor to dump password hashes from memory and authenticate to other user accounts.^[57]

Blue Mockingbird has used Mimikatz to retrieve credentials from LSASS memory.^[62]

BRONZE BUTLER has used various tools (such as Mimikatz and WCE) to perform credential dumping.^[37]

Cleaver has been known to dump credentials using Mimikatz and Windows Credential Editor.^[21]

CozyCar has executed Mimikatz to harvest stored credentials from the victim and further victim penetration.^[28]

Daserf leverages Mimikatz and Windows Credential Editor to steal credentials.^[22]

Emotet has been observed dropping password grabber modules including Mimikatz. ^[25]

Empire contains an implementation of Mimikatz to gather credentials from memory.^[16]

FIN6 has used Windows Credential Editor for credential dumping.^[47][48]

FIN8 harvests credentials using Invoke-Mimikatz or Windows Credentials Editor (WCE).^[40]

GreyEnergy has a module for Mimikatz to collect Windows credentials from the victim’s machine.^[23]

SecretsDump and Mimikatz modules within Impacket can perform credential dumping to obtain account and password information.^[18]

Ke3chang has dumped credentials, including by using Mimikatz.^[34][35]

LaZagne can perform credential dumping from memory to obtain account and password information.^[8]

Lazarus Group leveraged Mimikatz to extract Windows Credentials of currently logged-in users and steals passwords stored in browsers.^[39]

Leafminer used several tools for retrieving login and password information, including LaZagne and Mimikatz.^[31]

Leviathan has used publicly available tools to dump password hashes, including ProcDump and WCE. ^[58]

Lslsass can dump active logon session password hashes from the lsass process.^[9]

Magic Hound stole domain credentials from Microsoft Active Directory Domain Controller and leveraged Mimikatz.^[45]

Mimikatz performs credential dumping to obtain account and password information useful in gaining access to additional systems and enterprise network resources. It contains functionality to acquire information about credentials in many ways, including from the LSASS Memory.^{[12][13][14][15]}

MuddyWater has performed credential dumping with Mimikatz.^[32][33]

Net Crawler uses credential dumpers such as Mimikatz and Windows Credential Editor to extract cached credentials from Windows systems.^[21]

NotPetya contains a modified version of Mimikatz to help gather credentials that are later used for lateral movement.^[26][27][15]

OilRig has used credential dumping tools such as Mimikatz to steal credentials to accounts logged into the compromised system and to Outlook Web Access.^{[43][44][45][46]}

Okrum was seen using MimikatzLite to perform credential dumping.^[30]

Olympic Destroyer contains a module that tries to obtain credentials from LSASS, similar to Mimikatz. These credentials are used with PsExec and Windows Management Instrumentation to help the malware propagate itself across a network.^[24]

PLATINUM has used keyloggers that are also capable of dumping credentials.^[36]

PoetRAT used voStro.exe, a compiled pypykatz (Python version of Mimikatz), to steal credentials.^[29]

PoshC2 contains an implementation of Mimikatz to gather credentials from memory.^[17]

PowerSploit contains a collection of Exfiltration modules that can harvest credentials using Mimikatz.^[19][20]

Pupy can execute Lazagne as well as Mimikatz using PowerShell.^[10]

Sandworm Team's plainpwd tool is a modified version of Mimikatz and dumps Windows credentials from system memory.^[64][65]

Silence has used the Farse6.1 utility (based on Mimikatz) to extract credentials from lsass.exe.^[61]

Soft Cell used a modified version of Mimikatz along with a PowerShell-based Mimikatz to dump credentials on the victim machines.^[56]

Stolen Pencil gathers credentials using Mimikatz and Procdump. ^[51]

TEMP.Veles has used Mimikatz and a custom tool, SecHack, to harvest credentials. ^[55]

Threat Group-3390 actors have used a modified version of Mimikatz called Wrapikatz to dump credentials. They have also dumped credentials from domain controllers.^[59][60]

Whitefly has used Mimikatz to obtain credentials.^[63]

Windows Credential Editor can dump credentials.^[11]

With Windows 10, Microsoft implemented new protections called Credential Guard to protect the LSA secrets that can be used to obtain credentials through forms of credential dumping. It is not configured by default and has hardware and firmware system requirements. It also does not protect against all forms of credential dumping.^[3][4]

Consider disabling or restricting NTLM.^[6] Consider disabling WDigest authentication.^[7]

Ensure that local administrator accounts have complex, unique passwords across all systems on the network.

Do not put user or admin domain accounts in the local administrator groups across systems unless they are tightly controlled, as this is often equivalent to having a local administrator account with the same password on all systems. Follow best practices for design and administration of an enterprise network to limit privileged account use across administrative tiers.

On Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, enable Protected Process Light for LSA.^[5]

Limit credential overlap across accounts and systems by training users and administrators not to use the same password for multiple accounts.