Detection rules › Elastic
Windows Account or Group Discovery
This rule identifies the execution of commands that enumerates account or group information. Adversaries may use built-in applications to get a listing of local system or domain accounts and groups.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
Event coverage
| Provider | Event | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmon | Event ID 1 | Process creation |
| Security-Auditing | Event ID 4688 | A new process has been created. |
Rule body elastic
[metadata]
bypass_bbr_timing = true
creation_date = "2023/07/13"
integration = ["endpoint"]
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2026/03/24"
[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
building_block_type = "default"
description = """
This rule identifies the execution of commands that enumerates account or group information. Adversaries may use
built-in applications to get a listing of local system or domain accounts and groups.
"""
from = "now-9m"
index = ["logs-endpoint.events.process-*"]
language = "eql"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Windows Account or Group Discovery"
risk_score = 21
rule_id = "089db1af-740d-4d84-9a5b-babd6de143b0"
severity = "low"
tags = [
"Domain: Endpoint",
"OS: Windows",
"Use Case: Threat Detection",
"Tactic: Discovery",
"Rule Type: BBR",
"Data Source: Elastic Defend",
]
timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
type = "eql"
query = '''
process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
(
(
(
(process.name : "net.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net.exe") or
(
(process.name : "net1.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net1.exe") and
not process.parent.name : "net.exe"
)
) and process.args : ("accounts", "group", "user", "localgroup") and not process.args : "/add"
) or
(process.name:("dsquery.exe", "dsget.exe") and process.args:("*members*", "user")) or
(process.name:"dsquery.exe" and process.args:"*filter*") or
process.name:("quser.exe", "qwinsta.exe", "PsGetSID.exe", "PsLoggedOn.exe", "LogonSessions.exe", "whoami.exe") or
(
process.name: "cmd.exe" and
(
process.args : "echo" and process.args : (
"%username%", "%userdomain%", "%userdnsdomain%",
"%userdomain_roamingprofile%", "%userprofile%",
"%homepath%", "%localappdata%", "%appdata%"
) or
process.args : "set"
)
)
) and not process.parent.args: "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Intune Management Extension\\Content\\DetectionScripts\\*.ps1"
and not process.parent.name : "LTSVC.exe" and not user.id : "S-1-5-18"
'''
[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1033"
name = "System Owner/User Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1033/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1069"
name = "Permission Groups Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1069/"
[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1069.001"
name = "Local Groups"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1069/001/"
[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1069.002"
name = "Domain Groups"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1069/002/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1087"
name = "Account Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1087/"
[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1087.001"
name = "Local Account"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1087/001/"
[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1087.002"
name = "Domain Account"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1087/002/"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1201"
name = "Password Policy Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1201/"
[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0007"
name = "Discovery"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0007/"
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: process
process where host.os.type == "windows" and event.type == "start" and
(
(
(
(process.name : "net.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net.exe") or
(
(process.name : "net1.exe" or process.pe.original_file_name == "net1.exe") and
not process.parent.name : "net.exe"
)
) and process.args : ("accounts", "group", "user", "localgroup") and not process.args : "/add"
) or
(process.name:("dsquery.exe", "dsget.exe") and process.args:("*members*", "user")) or
(process.name:"dsquery.exe" and process.args:"*filter*") or
process.name:("quser.exe", "qwinsta.exe", "PsGetSID.exe", "PsLoggedOn.exe", "LogonSessions.exe", "whoami.exe") or
(
process.name: "cmd.exe" and
(
process.args : "echo" and process.args : (
"%username%", "%userdomain%", "%userdnsdomain%",
"%userdomain_roamingprofile%", "%userprofile%",
"%homepath%", "%localappdata%", "%appdata%"
) or
process.args : "set"
)
)
) and not process.parent.args: "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Intune Management Extension\\Content\\DetectionScripts\\*.ps1"
and not process.parent.name : "LTSVC.exe" and not user.id : "S-1-5-18"
Exclusions
Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts: predicates this rule actively suppresses.
| Field | Kind | Excluded values |
|---|---|---|
process.parent.args | wildcard | C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Intune Management Extension\Content\DetectionScripts\*.ps1 |
process.parent.name | eq | LTSVC.exe |
user.id | eq | S-1-5-18 |
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
event.type | eq |
|
process.args | wildcard |
|
process.name | wildcard |
|
process.pe.original_file_name | eq |
|