T1069.001_local-groups

T1069.001 Local Groups

Sub-technique of: T1069

High-Level Description

Adversaries may attempt to find local system groups and permission settings. The knowledge of local system permission groups can help adversaries determine which groups exist and which users belong to a particular group. Adversaries may use this information to determine which users have elevated permissions, such as the users found within the local administrators group.

Commands such as net localgroup of the Net utility, dscl . -list /Groups on macOS, and groups on Linux can list local groups.

Kill Chain Phase

• Discovery (TA0007)

Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows

What to Check

• Identify if Local Groups technique is applicable to target environment
• Check Linux systems for indicators of Local Groups
• Check macOS systems for indicators of Local Groups
• Check Windows systems for indicators of Local Groups
• Assess detection coverage (1 detection strategies)

How to Test

Atomic Red Team Tests

The following tests are from Atomic Red Team and provide actionable ways to test this technique:

Atomic Test 1: Permission Groups Discovery (Local)

Permission Groups Discovery

Supported Platforms: linux, macos

if [ -x "$(command -v dscacheutil)" ]; then dscacheutil -q group; else echo "dscacheutil is missing from the machine. skipping..."; fi;
if [ -x "$(command -v dscl)" ]; then dscl . -list /Groups; else echo "dscl is missing from the machine. skipping..."; fi;
if [ -x "$(command -v groups)" ]; then groups; else echo "groups is missing from the machine. skipping..."; fi;
if [ -x "$(command -v id)" ]; then id; else echo "id is missing from the machine. skipping..."; fi;
if [ -x "$(command -v getent)" ]; then getent group; else echo "getent is missing from the machine. skipping..."; fi;
cat /etc/group

Atomic Test 2: Basic Permission Groups Discovery Windows (Local)

Basic Permission Groups Discovery for Windows. This test will display some errors if run on a computer not connected to a domain. Upon execution, domain information will be displayed.

Supported Platforms: windows

net localgroup
net localgroup "Administrators"

Atomic Test 3: Permission Groups Discovery PowerShell (Local)

Permission Groups Discovery utilizing PowerShell. This test will display some errors if run on a computer not connected to a domain. Upon execution, domain information will be displayed.

Supported Platforms: windows

get-localgroup
Get-LocalGroupMember -Name "Administrators"

Atomic Test 4: SharpHound3 - LocalAdmin

This module runs the Windows executable of SharpHound in order to remotely list members of the local Administrators group (SAMR)

Supported Platforms: windows

New-Item -Path "#{output_path}" -ItemType Directory > $null
& "#{sharphound_path}" -d "#{domain}" --CollectionMethod LocalAdmin --NoSaveCache --OutputDirectory "#{output_path}"

Dependencies:

• SharpHound binary must exist on disk and at specified location (#{sharphound_path}). And the computer must be domain joined (implicit authentication).

Atomic Test 5: Wmic Group Discovery

Utilizing wmic.exe to enumerate groups on the local system. Upon execution, information will be displayed of local groups on system.

Supported Platforms: windows

wmic group get name

Manual Testing

If Atomic Red Team tests are not applicable, manually verify the technique by:

1. Identify Attack Surface: Determine if the target environment is susceptible to Local Groups by examining the target platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows).

2. Assess Existing Defenses: Review whether mitigations for T1069.001 are in place. If defenses are absent or misconfigured, this technique may be exploitable.

3. Execute Test: Use tools and methods described in the MITRE ATT&CK page and external references below.

Remediation Guide

No specific mitigations documented for this technique.

Detection

Behavioral Detection of Local Group Enumeration Across OS Platforms

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• Atomic Red Team - T1069.001
• MITRE ATT&CK - T1069.001