Hunt Credential Access

Credential Access TTP Hunt Skill

Proactively hunt for MITRE ATT&CK Credential Access techniques (T1003, T1555, etc.) based on threat intelligence or hypothesis.

Inputs

• TECHNIQUE_IDS - Comma-separated MITRE technique IDs (e.g., "T1003.001,T1555.003")
• TIME_FRAME_HOURS - Lookback period (default: 72)
• (Optional) TARGET_SCOPE_QUERY - UDM query to narrow scope
• (Optional) HUNT_HYPOTHESIS - Reason for the hunt
• (Optional) HUNT_CASE_ID - SOAR case for tracking

Common Techniques

Workflow

Step 1: Research Techniques

For each technique in TECHNIQUE_IDS:

gti-mcp.get_threat_intel(query="Explain MITRE ATT&CK technique T1003.001")

Understand:

• What the technique does
• Common procedures/tools
• Detection methods

Step 2: Develop Hunt Queries

T1003.001 - LSASS Memory Access:

metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH" AND
target.process.file.full_path = "C:\\Windows\\System32\\lsass.exe"

Look for suspicious parent processes accessing lsass.exe.

T1003.001 - Known Dumping Tools:

metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH" AND
(principal.process.command_line CONTAINS "mimikatz" OR
 principal.process.command_line CONTAINS "procdump" OR
 principal.process.command_line CONTAINS "sekurlsa")

T1555.003 - Browser Credential Files:

metadata.event_type = "FILE_OPEN" AND
(target.file.full_path CONTAINS "Login Data" OR
 target.file.full_path CONTAINS "Web Data" OR
 target.file.full_path CONTAINS "cookies.sqlite") AND
principal.process.file.full_path NOT IN ("chrome.exe", "firefox.exe", "msedge.exe")

T1003.006 - DCSync:

metadata.event_type = "DOMAIN_CONTROLLER_REPLICATION" AND
principal.hostname NOT IN @known_domain_controllers

General - Credential Dumping Tools:

metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH" AND
(target.process.file.full_path CONTAINS "mimikatz" OR
 target.process.file.full_path CONTAINS "lazagne" OR
 target.process.file.full_path CONTAINS "pypykatz")

Combine with TARGET_SCOPE_QUERY if provided.

Step 3: Execute Searches

secops-mcp.search_security_events(text=query, hours_back=TIME_FRAME_HOURS)

Step 4: Analyze Results

Look for:

• Low-prevalence events (unusual parent-child relationships)
• Access from unexpected applications
• Correlation with other suspicious activity
• Known bad tool signatures

Step 5: Enrich Findings

If suspicious events found:

secops-mcp.lookup_entity(entity_value=USER_OR_HOST)

For file hashes:

gti-mcp.get_file_report(hash=HASH)

Step 6: Document Hunt

Use /document-in-case:

• Techniques hunted with descriptions
• Queries used
• Findings (positive AND negative)
• Enrichment results
• Risk assessment

Step 7: Escalate or Conclude

Credential theft confirmed: → Trigger /respond-compromised-account for affected users → Escalate to incident response → Consider password resets for exposed credentials

No findings: → Document negative results → Confirm detection coverage for these techniques

Required Outputs

After completing this skill, you MUST report these outputs:

Detection Gaps to Note

If queries return no results, consider:

• Is the required telemetry being collected?
• Are endpoint logs being forwarded to SIEM?
• Do detection rules exist for these techniques?

Document gaps for security engineering follow-up.