Sub-technique of T1098 Account Manipulation.View on attack.mitre.org
An adversary may add additional local or domain groups to an adversary-controlled account to maintain persistent access to a system or domain.
On Windows, accounts may use the `net localgroup` and `net group` commands to add existing users to local and domain groups. On Linux, adversaries may use the `usermod` command for the same purpose.
For example, accounts may be added to the local administrators group on Windows devices to maintain elevated privileges. They may also be added to the Remote Desktop Users group, which allows them to leverage Remote Desktop Protocol to log into the endpoints in the future. Adversaries may also add accounts to VPN user groups to gain future persistence on the network. On Linux, accounts may be added to the sudoers group, allowing them to persistently leverage Sudo and Sudo Caching for elevated privileges.
In Windows environments, machine accounts may also be added to domain groups. This allows the local SYSTEM account to gain privileges on the domain.
Rules on DetectionCode tagged with T1098.007.
None recorded.
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| GroupAPT3 | APT3 has been known to add created accounts to local admin groups to maintain elevated access. |
| GroupAPT41 | APT41 has added user accounts to the User and Admin groups. |
| GroupAPT5 | APT5 has created their own accounts with Local Administrator privileges to maintain access to systems with short-cycle credential rotation. |
| GroupDragonfly | Dragonfly has added newly created accounts to the administrators group to maintain elevated access. |
| GroupFIN13 | FIN13 has assigned newly created accounts the sysadmin role to maintain persistence. |
| GroupKimsuky | Kimsuky has added accounts to specific groups with |
| GroupMagic Hound | Magic Hound has added a user named DefaultAccount to the Administrators and Remote Desktop Users groups. |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| MalwareDarkGate | DarkGate elevates accounts created through the malware to the local administration group during execution. |
| ToolNet | The `net localgroup` and `net group` commands in Net can be used to add existing users to local and domain groups. |
| MalwareServHelper | ServHelper has added a user named "supportaccount" to the Remote Desktop Users and Administrators groups. |
| MalwareSMOKEDHAM | SMOKEDHAM has added user accounts to local Admin groups. |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK® (Enterprise). ATT&CK® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
