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detecting-pass-the-hash-attacks

Investigate Pass-the-Hash attacks, where stolen password hashes are reused for authentication. Examine unusual NTLM logins alongside credential theft indicators, validate suspicious findings across security logs, and document evidence, affected hosts, confidence, and recommended responses.

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Detect Pass-the-Hash (T1550.002) attacks by analyzing NTLM authentication patterns, flagging Type 3 logons using NTLM where Kerberos would be expected, and correlating with credential-dumping indicators. Use when threat hunting for lateral movement via stolen NTLM hashes, triaging EDR/SIEM alerts on suspicious NTLM logons, scoping compromise during incident response, or validating detection coverage in a purple team exercise.

See how to install

Good for

  • Hunting for movement using stolen password hashes
  • Triaging suspicious NTLM login alerts
  • Assessing the scope of a compromise
  • Reviewing detection coverage in purple team exercises

Files included (8)

  • SKILL.md3.5 KB
  • assets/template.md2.6 KB
  • LICENSE11.0 KB
  • references/api-reference.md1.5 KB
  • references/standards.md1.5 KB
  • references/workflows.md2.9 KB
  • scripts/agent.py4.3 KB
  • scripts/process.py3.8 KB

SKILL.md (original)

Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.

Detecting Pass The Hash Attacks

When to Use

  • When proactively hunting for indicators of detecting pass the hash attacks in the environment
  • After threat intelligence indicates active campaigns using these techniques
  • During incident response to scope compromise related to these techniques
  • When EDR or SIEM alerts trigger on related indicators
  • During periodic security assessments and purple team exercises

Prerequisites

  • EDR platform with process and network telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne)
  • SIEM with relevant log data ingested (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
  • Sysmon deployed with comprehensive configuration
  • Windows Security Event Log forwarding enabled
  • Threat intelligence feeds for IOC correlation

Workflow

  1. Formulate Hypothesis: Define a testable hypothesis based on threat intelligence or ATT&CK gap analysis.
  2. Identify Data Sources: Determine which logs and telemetry are needed to validate or refute the hypothesis.
  3. Execute Queries: Run detection queries against SIEM and EDR platforms to collect relevant events.
  4. Analyze Results: Examine query results for anomalies, correlating across multiple data sources.
  5. Validate Findings: Distinguish true positives from false positives through contextual analysis.
  6. Correlate Activity: Link findings to broader attack chains and threat actor TTPs.
  7. Document and Report: Record findings, update detection rules, and recommend response actions.

Key Concepts

ConceptDescription
T1550.002Pass the Hash
T1550.003Pass the Ticket
T1078Valid Accounts

Tools & Systems

ToolPurpose
CrowdStrike FalconEDR telemetry and threat detection
Microsoft Defender for EndpointAdvanced hunting with KQL
Splunk EnterpriseSIEM log analysis with SPL queries
Elastic SecurityDetection rules and investigation timeline
SysmonDetailed Windows event monitoring
VelociraptorEndpoint artifact collection and hunting
Sigma RulesCross-platform detection rule format

Common Scenarios

  1. Scenario 1: Mimikatz sekurlsa::pth with stolen NTLM hash
  2. Scenario 2: Impacket psexec.py remote execution with hash
  3. Scenario 3: CrackMapExec hash spraying across hosts
  4. Scenario 4: WMI lateral movement via pass-the-hash

Output Format

Hunt ID: TH-DETECT-[DATE]-[SEQ]
Technique: T1550.002
Host: [Hostname]
User: [Account context]
Evidence: [Log entries, process trees, network data]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
Recommended Action: [Containment, investigation, monitoring]

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